Chapter 2: Heather's Row

The flight took forever but eventually both Juno and Pina touched down to the airport called Heather's Row. It was the largest international airport Juno had ever seen and she thought the departure lounge back home.

Time turned backwards when they stumbled out of the plane, groggy from being stuck in such a cramped space with so little sleep. Juno almost wished she had slept because the sun was beaming at their tired faces. They young she-wolf almost let out an irritated growl but was pushed by the crowd to move into the terminal.

"I hope things get better when we pick up our bags," Pina stifled a yawned before fluffing up his wool.

Oh, how wrong he was!

When the two of them were lining up at the immigration border, most of the security guards were barking orders on where they must go. There was no time to be idle as the queue was moving every minute. Juno stayed close to Pina, who was right behind her as they watched other animals either getting an entry or taking the rejection badly.

"COME ON! I WAITED IN THIS LINE FOR SO LONG!" a female barn owl shriek. "What kind of country is this? I'm telling you I have my passport and plane ticket. Isn't that enough?!"

One of the security guards, a borzoi dog, escorted her away. "Ma'am, for foreigners coming in, you still need to fill out declaration forms if you want to proceed."

Juno was already feeling clammy. She had her passport, ticket and documents to prove of the student exchange programme. When it was her turn, the she-wolf's body automatically faced the immigration officer was a raven in his navy blue uniform and badge.

What made her almost recoiled was the eyepatch that covered his right eye and a scar running down the corner of his beak. Juno kept fangs from baring and her paws down to avoid showing her claws.

"Juno?" the immigration officer inquired. The young grey wolf nodded, her eyes meeting his single reddish brown one. "Yes, sir."

"Purpose of visit?"

"Studying in a student's exchange programme with my friend over there."

She nodded her head at Pina's direction. The Dall sheep was as calm as a cucumber despite the hectic shouts of security guards, complaints from passengers and occasional children throwing a fit in public.

"Hmm..." was all the raven answered. He was sorting out her passport and taking a look at her documents. He pointed a pinion feather to the black camera. "Please face the camera and do not blink when the red light flashes."

Juno obeyed, not wanting to be denied an entry. Although the baggage claim was just a step away, everything depends on the immigration officer's approval. Juno was internally panicking, she almost got turned away when the officer tapped her claw over the counter.

"Miss, I'm asking you which school are you going to study in?"

"Selkie School for Gift Girls," said Juno, straightening her spine. "My friend behind me is going to Gryphon Cross. It's our first time here..."

The officer was mum throughout the process and then began to stamped her passport in green ink. Juno felt the anxiety being lifted as she had her passport back. "Welcome to our country, cause no trouble."

After heading to the baggage claim, Juno lets out a sigh of relief. She was so thankful that she had gotten through. Her tail wagged when she caught a glimpse of Pina emerging with a confident smile. The both of them were glad to made it through the other side.

"So Juno," Pina began, "did you have any trouble with Mr One-Eye?"

Juno shook her head and winked her right eye. "He wasn't any trouble at all. Did he ask you about the school?"

"He did," Pina nodded with a giggle. "He's scary but I think he's cool. He said that his brother goes to Gryphon Cross. I wonder if I will get to meet him."

"I hope my host is nice," sighed Juno. "Once we're out of this airport, we might only see each other by the end of the programme."

Pina gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Look on the bright side, Juno. How many students at Cherryton would brag about an exchange programme in a new country and having an adventure? Besides, maybe carnivores and herbivores do get along here unlike back home."

Juno smiled, tail wagging slightly while her ears perked up. "Maybe. Hey, look at that!"

The grey wolf gestured to the other passengers leaving. They were supposed to meet their hosts at the arrival hall. All Juno could think about now was a nice cup of coffee and a pastry after the long flight, being jet-lagged and the immigrations counter.

...

Pina had washed his face and chewed a bit of gum in the plane's bathroom. After all, he doesn't want to greet his host in a gauche manner. Even before they touched down, a few of the female passengers were fawning over him but they weren't his type.

After all, he prefers those with horns.

However, his heart was beating fast at the sheer thought of meeting him again. They have been communicating online ever since their first encounter during a swimming competition. Now Pina wasn't shy when it came to taking one for the other team, but there was something about him...

Better than that lovesick pup or that boorish bear.

Pushing out his trolley with his luggage, he and Juno made their way to the arrival hall, where many animals were waiting for their loved ones with signs, cafes all over the place with some souvenir shops and even a few luxury retails for those that loved glitz and glamour.

Scanning the groups of animals waiting, he spotted his name on a cream-coloured manila card in bold marker pens. When he reached his host, his breath hitched slightly at who it was:

Golden smooth scales that matched those incredible carnelian eyes that looked up into his piercing blue ones.

"Welcome to Heather's Row, Pina," his host bowed in greeting, a hiss in his accented voice. How sweet of him! It made the Dall sheep checked him up and down, nothing how he was wearing a maroon cardigan sweater made for snakes and behind him was a beautiful brown female adult with dark brown eyes, which he assumed to be his mother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sameer," Pina flashed him a smile, reaching out his hand to shake the cobra's tail. 'My god. His scales shine like gold under the light. I wonder what they feel like. Probably coarse and rough. Who knows? I wonder how rough his lips are?'

Pina bit his lip at the thought of it.

"This is my mother, Dr Mumtaz," he introduced the older brown cobra. With her hood slightly flared, she relaxed slightly when he greeted her by kissing her tail, a respectful greeting that Sameer demonstrated. In his country, bowing is a way of greeting but for Sameer's family, kissing someone's hand, especially if they were your elders, was a greeting but also a sign of respect. In this case for the cobras, their tails.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Pina," Mumtaz hissed. "Sameer told me all about you when he came to Cherryton for that swimming competition."

"H-he did?" Pina was taken aback by this. He wondered if...oh, it's too soon! Too soon for words!

As Pina followed his hosts from behind, he glanced on the other side to find Juno leaving with a family of a cob black swan and a young female that was about her age. The she-wolf gave him a half-hearted wave before stepping out of the doors.

Pina waved back and faced the new world with determination.

Ahh, now we know who will be Pina's host ;) Now, I wonder how Juno will fair with her host of black swans?

Some of the references I made in this fic were based on my personal experiences for 2 weeks in that place