Jade Fern Grove i'm gonna be gone for good again

Watching the interaction unfold, he wondered if he was just wasting his own time. Despite how similar the one female was to Ocra, it couldn’t possibly be her. She’d left months ago, leaving him all alone shortly after he’d left the woods for them. They had both just up and left without a trace or a word; Xan had spent weeks wondering where they’d gone and why they decided to leave him before finally finding it within himself to forget them. They weren’t coming back—he had told himself that so many times that he’d actually started to believe it. There was nothing left for either of them to return to, so what would draw either of them back? Perhaps he would have been convinced had he seen Sriracha, knowing that Ocra would never go anywhere without him... right?

Maybe not.

The Inuk was seconds away from turning when he heard the Ocra look-a-like mentioned having once lived there. Curious, he stilled and listened further, shock blinding him seconds later. So, it was Ocra. He suddenly felt lightheaded, needing to process this information. Did she come back for him…? No, she wouldn’t have. Even if she had, it wouldn’t have mattered. Shaking his head, he considered his escape route but froze before taking it, feeling eyes on him. Peering through the various flora, his gaze met hers and he knew—he knew he’d been caught, that he couldn’t just vanish into thin air, entirely undetected.

Swallowing, he took a few slow steps forward, legs stiff and eyes never leaving her direction. Forgetting that they weren’t alone, he didn’t think to glance towards the other female, Ocra having his full attention. Yet, once he was fully exposed, he couldn’t think of anything to say. His mind was suddenly blank and his throat dry, silence taking over until…

“Why?”

Why was she there? Why was she back? Why did she leave? Why wasn’t Sriracha with her? Just… why?