Prologue of a Dog: A Titan's Calling

[Isabelle]

Dear Mayor,

It’s been a long time since you first graced our town hall. Oh geeze, I remember when you had to get your reputation up for the licence, I still wonder why the government wanted that. I guess it’s because we didn’t vote you in.

Well, technically we did vote you in, the only entries on the ballot were “get the government to send somebody” or “Bob.” I guess his “In Bob we trust” catch phrase never caught on, at least not enough to win against a complete stranger. With you leaving, I already hear him throwing around his new slogan: “What about Bob?” I guess somethings never change.

I’m getting sidetracked, what I mean is that you were the best thing to happen to this town. I remember when this place was nothing, barely had notice on the map. But now, the financial district pulls in tourist far and wide! We even have a fashion scene now, I didn’t expect that! I mean, half our citizens are a t-shirt or scarf away from being naked, we’re far from a fashionable group.

And that’s all because of you, Mayor, it’s all because of your hardwork and dedication. Seriously the only bad thing to happen to this town is the dwindling butterfly population, but that’s hardly your fault.

While you are going away to do your exploring thing, I just want you to remember to take care of yourself, we all care deeply about you. I may not be there to help you anymore, but I’m always with you in spirit.

I hope your journey is as bountiful as you’ve made this town.

You’re always in my thoughts,
~Isabelle




It wasn’t the blinding white light that caught her attention. She knew the day the Mayor left was sunny. She prayed for rainy weather, so maybe they would postpone it for a day, but the sun decided to favor the spirit of adventure. Fate wasn’t in the cards for poor Isabelle, in more ways than one. She thought the light at first was the sun mocking her, as if punishing her for her selfish prayers the night before.

However, it was the darkness that hinted something was remiss. At first she thought the black void swallowing up all the light was her blacking out from heatstroke or heartbreak, but when the light started to take form, she began to think it was a hallucination.

What formed in the light in front of her looked like a boy sitting cross-legged on the floor, but his head was way too small to be a human, and his body was way too big. He looked more like one of the titans of legend, though those stood over you like mountains while the child in front of her sat at equal size.

Then, much to her surprise, the titan spoke to her.

“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”

The beings of legends were said to be gods that controlled fate. She may be a ditz at times, but she knew when it was important to listen up.

The boy handed her an orb of rainbow colored light which fit perfectly in the palm of her paw.

This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most.

She heard of shooting stars granting wishes, but she never believed it. Now god himself was literally handing her matter that could grant her anything she could possibly want!

Before she could even comprehend this concept, the titan continued.

“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn. 

“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

And with that, the darkness faded away, and the dog found herself standing in an empty white void, in front of her was a fountain, a tiny island inhabited the middle which reminded her of Tortimer’s island. The mayor once asked her to go there once… twice… maybe three times. He was often obsessed with making her take a vacation. It was uncertain to her why.

Her imagination ran wild as she tried to compile what she had just encountered. Oddly, the idea of being in another universe didn’t take much to process, nor did the concept of gods existing. But the concept of wish granting magical powers, was a little harder to swallow. Maybe this is the reason Omni’s world is so empty? Was she supposed to fill it?

No, he said there were others. And just a quick peek around showed that she was far from alone. She could see the faint forms of people inching their way in the distance. Most were oddly shaped like Omni.

“Maybe I should try to wish for something.” She said out loud, as if making note to someone taking dictations.

She clasped her paws together as if she were praying. She almost closed her eyes, but her curiosity kept her lids open a smidge. She started to remember her scooter from her kart racing days. She thought about the green and eggshell white finish, the brown handlebars, the print designs, she pictured it vividly in her head. Soon, that same rainbow colored ball appeared out of her, slowly taking the form of the scooter on the ground before fully materializing just a few minutes later.

She leapt with joy.

“Yay! It is true!” She said, her arms raised. Then she scooped up the scooter, which turned into a leaf in her paw, and she stuffed it into her pocket. “What should I wish for next?”


In the next hour, she would summon a new set of clothes, an apple, a lawn chair, and a book she never got around to reading. She had just got settled down, the sounds of water rushing ringing in her ears as she plowed through the first few chapters, munching her way through an apple like it was nothing.

It was when she had only a core left and she got to chapter 4 when her mind started to deviate. Despite the fact she had made herself comfortable in this strange place, it didn’t change the fact that the world didn’t seem all that homely. She’d feel a bit more comfortable with a roof over her head; an actual roof, not the white thing overhead.

She had a chuckle. It had been a long time since she had been homeless. She didn’t have magical powers last time. She pretty much lived out of town hall     until she had her payments done through Nook. She had no idea where her brother lived up to that point.

She started to remember the mayor, how he had to live in a tent for his first few days. It was funny, thinking of an elected official sleeping in a tent.

Then it hit her.

“The mayor, he must be here, too!” She cried out.

She leapt to her feet and started to pace in front of her lawn chair. If she was worthy enough to be brought here by some god, then surely someone as amazing and fantastic as the mayor was here, too! He said he wanted to go on adventures, but this is not what he had in mind. He could be lost somewhere out in the whiteness, he could need her help!

She clasped her paws together, thought long and hard as she focused on the space in front of her.

“Send me to the mayor.” She said, plainly and clearly.

Nothing happened.

“Please, send me to the mayor.” She said, she focused harder on their visage.

Nothing happened. Not even a sparkle of Omnilium sparked from her body.

“Please, bring him here!” She pleaded as she thought long and hard about him, every detail of him…. her…

Then it struck her.

She couldn’t remember the mayor. Couldn’t remember their face, their details. She didn’t even know for certain their gender. They could have been a man or a woman or… It had to be one of those two.

The whirlwind of confusion hit hard over they puppy’s mind, as she began to panic.

“Why can’t I remember…” She cried how, plopping down on her knees, tears soaking the fur under her eyes. “I need to protect him. It’s my duty, but how can i find him if I can’t remember him… or her.”

She curled in a ball on the Nexus floor, her face buried into her knees as she sobbed her eyes out, confused, frustrated, and oh so lost.

[Isabelle]

“Are you okay little one?” Chimed in an unfamiliar voice.

The tear soaked face of the dog girl peered up to look at the source. An old man, hair gray and spiky, a brown bowler hat perched atop his head, was looking down on her. He wore a chocolate brown suit and held a cane in his left hand. He had a curly mustache that swirled across his cheeks. He looked familiar to Isabelle, but he was certainly not the mayor.

“I’m fine.” She said, sniffing in a nostril full of snot. “I just lost someone, that’s all.”

He offered his free hand down to the girl and gave her a kind smile.

“Well, it’s certain this missing person can be found.” He said confidently as she took his paw. He gently pulled her to her feet and offered her a handkerchief. He tips a hat to her. “My name’s Rovin, Rovin Wayward is my full name.”

“Isabelle.” She answered honestly, blowing her snout into the cloth.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that his name wasn’t real, but despite that, something about the man felt trustworthy, something about him made her feel comfortable.

She offered the snot covered handkerchief back, but the man held up a hand in protest. She then proceeded to fold it nicely and stuff it away in her pocket.

“So tell me about this man you’ve lost.” He asked cordially.

“That’s the thing, I don’t have any memory of what he or she looks like, and I certainly don’t know where they might have gone around here.”

She had to fight to keep the rainworks from pouring again.

“Ah, you must be new, and you must be a prime.” He said, looking over at the lawn chair and book that wasn’t far away.

“A prime?” Inquired Isabelle, cocking her head at Rovin.

“That’s someone who was brought here by Omni himself.” He began, his mustaches twitched reflexively. “While Secondaries such as myself and most people in this world, are brought here by the wishes of the primes.”

She mulled over this new piece of information, but Rovin wasn’t finished.

“Well, it’s common for Primes to have missing memories when they first arrive. I wouldn’t worry, they’ll come back eventually. I think.”

“But I can’t wait for them to come back, please.” She begged, her paw pressed together, desperation in her voice. “I can’t let him be out there alone. He could be in trouble, he could need my help!”

The old man rubbed his chin as he mumbled something to himself, inaudible to even the ears of a dog.

“Well, if you think you’d recognize him at first sight, I’d try searching one of the verses.” He began, before bending over to lay a hand on her shoulder and pointing out to the distance. “See those arcs? They lead to the many worlds of Omniverse. Fantastical landscapes of many varieties. If your mayor truly is here, then he must be in one of those.”

Isabelle almost slapped herself. Of course there would be more to this world than just a white void, those people in the distance must be going somewhere. But it didn’t matter now. She clenched her paws and reassured herself of her new goal, she was going to find the mayor and help him anyways she could.

She reached into her pocket and tossed a leaf on the ground. It automatically poofed into her scooter, causing Rovin to take a few steps back at the sudden appearance of the transport.

“Thank you Mr. Wayward. I’ll repay your kindness someday!” She called out as she hopped onto her vehicle and sped off.

“Wait! That direction leads to-” Cried out the old man, but he realized his words were reaching deaf ears. Instead, he sat down on the beach chair and adjusted his hat. “I guess that little doggie is having herself quite the adventure.”



After a short trip, she packed up her scooter again, and took a long good look at the gate she had arrived at. The arc was made of some sort of archaic stone structure. A faint glow emanated from within as smoke billowed from inside. She almost wanted to try one of the other gates, but she couldn’t purge the thought she might be on the trail of her Mayor.

So, with a deep breath, she stepped through.

Will Isabelle find her mayor? Will she survive the Omniverse? Tune next time in the Ashen Steppes with “Tale of a Pup: In the Dog House.”