Emberwood where did the good people go

Once he'd stopped humming, the birds slowly regained their composure and began to sing. He listened for a quick minute before they took flight again, startled by something he couldn't see. Sweet sat up and turned his head in the opposite direction from where the birds fled, and right on cue too. The crunching of autumn leaves was one indication he wasn't alone, but the most prominent was the obvious: his sister bounding between the trees and hollering with that too-loud voice of her's, all but tackling him where he sat. She was weaving around him and showering him with affection, all of which was so loud and so busy and so totally not okay right now oh my god would you take a percocet please ---!

What're you doing here?!! She hollered (more or less right in his face).

Woah woah woah, his voice paled in comparison to his sister's, but he grew more insistent as he competed for control of the situation; she won out due to volume and exuberance, naturally. But whether she calmed or not he continued: I should ask you that. Have you been following me? Why aren't you with mom and dad? Out of the trio of kids, Sweet was probably the last one they'd expect to break away in search of independence but that was exactly what he had been after. Now Saucy was here — which made him wonder, was everyone else hot on her trail?