Wheeling Gull Isle lies don’t last long

for @Hide, whenever u have the chance!
he’s at lavender xin

Life went from bad to good in a blink of an eye. The storm had passed, Yuèlóng had returned to their island. His friend had been found. Minori was missing.

Minori was missing, and so her title as general fell upon him. Orochi’s quest to take his rank back had come to an end so quickly. Too quickly. It left much to be desired.

He couldn’t let it go. It’s like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Orochi spent the days pacing around the island to ease his discontent. 

That night he came across the field of flowers he’d seen time and time again. Rather than passing by, he lingered. Their smell was soothing, and he could use that now.

i always have the chance for hiderochi

Things were vastly improved now. Back on the island, Hide was able to navigate on his own, traversing the beaches and inland with relative ease. Of course, it'd taken some time to get used to again, but it was kind of like riding a bike. He didn't quite forget where things were.

It was nighttime - Hide could tell by the lack of sunlight seeping into his fur. But there was just one teensie problem with that. 

He couldn't find Orochi. 

Well, he could, actually, because without the incessant rain he was able to follow his companion's scent. Orochi had been going on a lot of walks lately, and these past few days, Hide had let him be alone with his thoughts. But he could only take so much time away from Orochi right now, so it was time to go bother him a little. Or at least, drag him to bed so he could sleep. 

The lavender smelled nice, especially coupled with the sea salt in the air. Hide closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents combined. Lavender. Ocean. Orochi. It was a nice combo... but there was no way in hell he was going to tell Orochi that. 

Hide tipped his head when he got closer and couldn't hear pawsteps. Orochi was close, but he wasn't walking around. With minimal difficulty, Hide padded over to the other boy's side, nudging his shoulder with his nose in greeting. 

"Feels nice out, tonight," he commented, turning his head to catch some of the sea breeze in his fur. Not too cold, not too hot. "Can you see the stars?"

He smelled him before he saw them. The night‘a breeze pushed his scent towards him, and it intertwined with the lavender. It was a nice combination.

He smiled when Hide nudged his shoulder, and leaned over to return the gesture. At this point the greeting was instinctual.

Guess so. Orochi rarely took the time to judge his surroundings. He only seemed to do it around Hide. After some thought he concluded that it did feel nice tonight.

His nose tilted towards the violet sky. Yeah, I can see a lot actually. It’s a clear evening and there was nothing blocking the way. It’s just the ocean, the horizon, and dozens of little stars spread throughout the sky.

Lots of stars. So there weren't many clouds, then. Hide tipped his head up a bit to breathe in deeply, taking in the smells and the feeling and the sounds around him. His hearing was almost at 100% now, and his head had stopped pounding. All he felt now was warm. 

"There's lots of flowers, too, huh?" he questioned, dipping his head down to nose along the tops of the lavender. It smelled even better up close... but...

Hide clipped one off and turned around to place it on top of Orochi's head in one quick movement, thankful he hadn't bumped his chin on his friend's skull. With some luck, it'd stay there - it would probably look better placed behind his ear, but this was the best Hide could do to tease him.

Orochi usually despised flower beds. The smell was always too strong, and the pollen would make him sneeze. Walking though them was always irritating. There’s something different about these flowers though. The lavender and sea salt made a satisfying aroma. Combine that with Hide’s scent and it made everything just a little better.

Orochi would deny his true feelings of course. Too many, he snorted. He even stomped on a flower to sell the facade.

One brow raised as he watched the ginger dive down. Huh? What are you- Before he could finish, Hide placed a lavender on top of his head. It shocked him. W-what was that for? His face began to warm up. That was dumb... but in the nice Hide sort of way.

I just laughed so hard at that image

Too many? Hide perked his ears, hearing Orochi stomp his foot. No doubt onto a poor flower. "Noooo," he whined, at his utmost dramatic, and crouched down next to where he was sure the flower was smooshed into the ground. "You killed him!" As though he wasn't about to pick one to give it to Orochi in just a second.

A broad grin spread across his maw when Orochi stammered, and he shrugged. "Figured it'd probably be cute," he said simply, stepping back a bit. "You can give me one too if you wanna!"

If it weren’t for the fear he’d trip over his words, he’d probably point how stupid morning over a flower was. Hide would be spared from teasing for now.

He didn’t do it for any response, he says, he did it because he thought it’d be cute. Cute? Orochi repeated. The heat beneath his skin grew warmer. It made it difficult to think straight.

The yearling shook his head to come to his senses, or tried at least. This feeling couldn’t just be brushed off his shoulders, but he could pretend it could.

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a mischievous smirk. Oh, I’ll give you one alright, then proceeded to gather a mouthful of flowers and flung them above Hide.

i'm so sorry for the wait!

"Cute," Hide reiterated, hoping that the heat under his own fur wasn't somehow visible to the outside world. "I mean, not that I can see, but like... yeah. Cute."

Hide let out a yelp as Orochi moved, and closed his eyes against the onslaught of flowers above his head. The boy shook most of them from his spiky fur and grinned in return, tail beginning to wag behind him. "Remember you asked for this," he growled playfully, crouching down before lunging for Orochi, aiming to wrestle him down into the flowers.

Oh, that look on his face. Priceless! All that over couple little flowers. Orochi couldn’t stifle a laugh.

He believed the lavender shower made the two even, but Hide had different plans. He could tell by the smile, the way his tail fanned in the wind, and the three of course.

Heh, bring it o- Hide cut him short with a swift tackle, and the two went rolling in the fields. Orochi ended up beneath him.  

I wasn’t ready! he protested before batting at the ginger’s face.

His surprise tackle worked. He took Orochi to the ground, likely smashing a bunch more flowers than he wanted, and wound up pinning the other boy beneath him.

"Oh, so you think enemies are gonna wait for you to be ready before they attack you?" he questioned, letting out a soft oof when Orochi thwacked him in the maw with a forelimb. He ignored it. "I'm just helping, is all." Helping Orochi fight better, obviously. There was absolutely nothing selfish at all in his actions. Nooooooo.

"Besides, I'm like, super strong and stuff. Nearly beat two Saints wolves by myself." Had he told him that before? He couldn't remember, but he didn't think he'd ever get sick of bragging about it. "I can probably beat you now."

It was an obvious challenge.

wc: 99

Well of course no one would ever be stupid enough to do that. Hide was just different. Yeah but you’re not my enemy. He expected to have a little time to prepare. It was a stupid expectation in him sight, with his friend’s determination to finally beat him in a spar. The flame hasn’t gone out yet.

Hide was clearly challenging him now. Orochi grinned. Ha! In your dreams. He used his back legs to kick the stomach. He wanted to see his friend beat him in battle one day, but he’d make damn sure it wouldn’t be easy.

"I'm totally your enemy, right now. We're fighting over the flowers," he announced, a broad grin on his face and his tail swaying behind him. He really didn't expect the kick to his stomach, though, and the breath was half driven out of him when his friend kicked upward. 

He stepped back, bracing himself for when Orochi would inevitably lunge for him.

So he wanted to be Orochi’s part-time enemy. Not the smartest decision. He’d never cause any serious harm to his friend, but hearing the declaration does spark an all too familiar fire in his heart.

Once Hide was kicked away, the yearling shot up and leapt forward in an attempt to pin him. Give him a taste of his own medicine.