Jade Fern Grove weep for yourself my man

To Sriracha's great surprise and joy, their numbers were growing. Where once they were but three, their numbers had grown to such a size that Sriracha felt comfortable widening their borders. Indeed, they would need more land to call their own, especially if they were to grow. The small chunk of land that he had carved out would not be enough for their current numbers, let alone more. They would have to encompass more than just the willow tree, her stream, and a small patch of woods around.

Sriracha struck out from the willow, roving where he would. He wound through trees, and as he did so rubbed against them. He crept along the eaves of rocks, and there he lifted his leg, relieving himself and thus leaving behind a strong scent. And so he went, determining the size and shape of the claim from whim to whim.

Kessa liked exploring. There was something intriguing about finding places no one else knew about and making them your own. In particular, the ebony female liked finding nooks and crannies to poke her head into. One never knew if they led to a bigger picture. 

It was from behind one such place that she came upon Sriracha. It was a thick bush, hollow in the middle, and just big enough for the yearling to hide in. She had only just gotten comfortable when the flash of dark fur alerted her to the leader's presence. 

Kessa considered Sriracha her own in a way. He was the only reason she was here and the young femme had attached herself to him emotionally, ready to serve in any way she could. Kessa idolized Sriracha and wasn't at all shy about talking to him. Or attempting to talk anyways.

She pushed her way out of the bush with a wriggle, giving her cough/ bark greeting. Kessa moved to follow alongside the Spanish wolf in silent companionship, tail wagging happily.

Easily startled though he was, Sriracha had been expecting some member of his... whatever it was to find him. So though she burst from seemingly nowhere, Sriracha's reaction was, comparitively, tame. (He still spazzed out a little, though.) He greeted her more physically, bumping her shoulder affectionately before inviting her to join him with a nod of his head.

Kessa was good when one wanted company but not conversation. This wasn't often for Sriracha, but often enough that he liked knowing he had someone like that to go to. He thought that she had the makings of an excellent scout, too, so he was pleased that she had joined him as he scouted out new borders for them. He walked on, checking behind him once or twice to see if she followed.

Vi to the rescue!

Having rediscovered his fam-bam, Vihaan was elated. He was walking on sunshine, grinning like a fool, helicopter-tailing, and even singing to himself, he was so happy. Of course he couldn't sing very well, which explained why everyone went running for the hills as he wandered about in search of one of his sib-a-roonis. They had probably heard him coming too, come to think of it.

That was the only explanation (according to Vihaan) as to why he was so freakishly lonely out in the middle of nowhere. He thought he saw a glimpse of someone cute and new, though, and made a beeline for the dark shape. When he emerged from the dense foliage, it was in time to see the stranger (Kessa) slipping away from another figure.

Without thinking (as Vi rarely did any of that) he broke out into a droning, out-of-tune acapella version of, Caaaaaaan you feeeeeel the loooove tonii-- only to come face-to-face with Sriracha of all people. --iiiaaAH! You again? His face felt flush, and he ignored the pang of heat running through the pit of his stomach for good measure; the boy seemed to recoil as soon as he recognized him and side-stepped against a bush.

Kessa, whose whims were difficult to understand at best, slipped away as quickly as she had joined him. Hey- he called after her, but she was gone. No sooner was she gone than Sriracha heard a fiercely awful warbling. Vihaan, Sriracha uttered, as though muttering a curse. And, indeed, Vihaan appeared. Sriracha didn't have any reason to be afraid of him, but dang their last meeting was awkward.

Sriracha arched a brow. I live here, dude. You'll want to get used to seeing my candy ass around, he said. I mean, no homo. I just. I do have a nice ass, there's no denying that. When you see a guy with a nice ass- who is me, not you, I haven't looked at your ass- you just gotta... what am I saying? He shook his head furiously, as though mere head shaking could force the sheer wall of awkwardness away.

Yeah you do, he agreed before he could stop himself, and even gazed fondly over at Sriracha's plump rear. He snapped out of that really quick though, obviously, and hoped the other guy's rambling was loud enough to overshadow his own comment. 

I dunno, what are you saying, duderino?! Vihaan loudly objected, feigning the majority of emotion he expressed. He was theatrical to the extreme, putting on an offended face and recoiling as he had during their last meeting. Except this time he petered out pretty quick, and stared off at the path which the dark wolf had taken only moments prior. Heck-tually, who was that? You got a thing for dark little damsels? Seemed a bit young. He wiggled his brow and passed a crude smile to Sriracha, clearly overcompensating. But maybe you like 'em that way, huh? Not just a homo but a pedo too? Its all good, I support the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

At this point he (and his author) was talking out of his ass and didn't know what was going on.

Ah yes, there was the Vihaan he knew and... platonically appreciated. All theatrics and internalized homophobia. And external homophobia? Possibly. That was a can of worms he just wasn't ready to content with yet. Not when he had these new accusations to deal with. He rolled his eyes and did his best to downplay Vihaan's suggestion that he was abusing his power. First of all, hombre, that was Kessa. She's gay- she's deaf. Not gay. We were just scouting. You probably scared her off with all of your stupid. He tipped his nose up imperiously, as though attempting to put as much distance as possible between his delicate snout and some foul odor. Second, you're being a little shitstain. It's not very dignified. Said he, the shitstain.