Basically, this is an entry for a contest on a site I'm on. Just letting anyone who sees this know.
Now, before I start, I just want to explain what that voice is. That voice, as I've imagined it, is essentially another part of Hana's mind, which she can't really control. Her constant fighting with it often means she doesn't pay as much attention to things she should, and tends to account for some of her ditzy, Cloudcuckoolander qualities. Because of her nature as a goddess, this voice is capable of reaching outside her mind and generating itself in other locations nearby, especially from the plants that trail behind and around her when she's bringing Spring to the world. Of course, this doesn't always mean that it's in complete control of when that happens - Just as people often blurt out things they don't mean to say, the voice in Hana's mind is very capable of doing that, too.
Now, then, on to the story!
- - - - -
The wolf yawned, laying down and watching flowers bloom around her. They continued growing for several minutes, eventually reaching to about twice her height. She knew it wasn't natural, but she didn't really care. As much as she loved her job, it could be exhausting. After all, she was expected to run around
half the planet in just a few days, once every six months. Sure, it didn't happen often, but when it did, it could be a real pain. Heck, they even wanted to her to run across the ocean to get from one continent to another! She couldn't do that! She could barely swim, let alone part the seas or something so she could walk across...
It also didn't help that they often chewed her out if she forgot, or if she took a break, or if she got distracted, or- Ooh, that bird has really bright colors!
...I'm sorry, where was I again?
You need to keep moving, unless you want them to flip out at you again, a voice in her head stated.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll go in a minute," she responded, watching as the bird she'd awoken earlier dove at a flower... Only to miss it's target and be snapped up by an overgrown Venus Fly Trap. She winced. "Sorry!"
Just like that, the voice was back again.
Great job, genius. You killed the poor thing. You're supposed to bring life
to the world, not kill the things you create...
She sighed. "You're as bad as the rest of them are, you know that?" she mumbled out loud, pushing herself up. "I just wanted a few minutes of rest, that's all."
You can rest when you're done. Now, let's go! Unless, of course, you want more
winter storms in the middle of April.
"I told you guys, that wasn't my fault! The freaking polar bear was bored of the arctic circles, and you know it," she complained, starting to walk off... Only to see a girl staring at her through the foliage.
"...Those are some big plants you've got there," she commented after a minute, trying to decide between looking at the flowers, which, by now, were a good ten feet tall at the shortest, or looking at the light pink wolf. In the end, she decided to switch between both, it seemed, as she was glancing at one one second and the other the next.
Oh, great, and now you've gone and gotten yourself noticed by someone. Brilliant, just brilliant.
Shut up, she growled mentally. She knew it wouldn't work, but it was better than nothing.
"...So..." the girl mumbled, looking much like she'd be sweatdropping if this weren't real life. "Um... Was that
you talking back there? Because I've never seen a talking wolf." She paused. "Or a pink one, for that matter. I saw a character in a game that looked similar to you, but not like that."
Just walk away. Walk away. You were never here. She never saw you. Just. Walk.
It was too late, though. Acting like the Cloudcuckoolander she tended to be, she'd already responded to the girl by the time the voice had said anything. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it was. And... You can understand me? 'Cause, from what I've heard, most people can't understand other species of animals. Given that I'm a goddess, though, I guess that's not
too-"
"You idiot! You aren't supposed to tell people that! Hell, people aren't even supposed to know you exist! You! Are! So! Stupid!" the voice yelled. Unfortunately for it's owner, it was yelled out loud, from every corner of the surrounding area.
"...That was loud. And a little rude. I don't really think you should call a goddess stupid, omnipresent voice. You know, even if you
aren't a physical being. Or maybe you are. I don't know. It's still kind of disrespectful," she commented, shrugging and rubbing the back of her head.
...Crap. The voice had managed to keep itself confined in her head that time.
Okay, listen. You are going to kill her. You are going to dispose of or hide her body. You are going to finish your job and go about your business like this never happened. In fact, it never did. This never happened. Got it?
Eww, no! I don't kill things! she yelled.
You killed that bird.
...I don't kill things on purpose!
The girl started waving her hand in front of the wolf's face. "Hello, earth to... Goddess... Wolf... Ōkami... Thing?" she asked, a little confused. "You there?"
"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her apparent trance. "Oh, yeah, sure. I was just having a chat with a... 'Friend', I guess you'd say."
"...I see. Anyway, I'm Xena, though everyone calls me something different, it seems like. Recently, they've been calling me Garnet." She shrugged. "So, what do they call you?"
Say nothing.
"...They just refer to me as the Goddess of Spring," she replied, ignoring the voice's demands. Amusingly enough, it seemed to have started hitting it's head off of something, mumbling 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!' to itself each time.
"'Goddess of Spring'? That's... Well, no offense, but that's stupid. You need a name, don't you?" Xena asked, not allowing any time for her to comment. "How about Hana? It means flower in Japanese, from what my dictionary says."
The voice sighed.
Fine, ignore me. If this girl decides to catch you and stuff you into a tiny little sphere or something, it's not my fault.
That's not real, and you know it, she replied, before looking at the girl. "Well... I don't really need a name, from what I know of, but Hana sounds nice, I guess."
"Alright, then it's settled! You are Hana, Goddess of Spring, and I am Xena, her companion!"
"...What?" she asked, tilting her head.
Xena shrugged. "Well, you
do need to cover all the continents, right? At least, I would assume so, being a goddess and whatnot. I live in Maine, and even though it's in a tiny little corner of the world, we're pretty well known for our lobster. My friend's relative owns a boat, and even though it might take a while, we could probably help you get over to where you need to go, assuming you don't mind being seen by her~! Whaddya say?" she asked, holding out her hand.
"Well..."
Why do they never listen to me? the voice asked.
Ignoring the voice's protests, she placed her paw on Xena's hand and shook. "Sure."
