Jade Fern Grove only a year ago, i loved you

She'd been unsettled since the meeting, uncertain what to make of the sudden influx of her family members. She hadn't seen either of them since they'd left Lion's Grave, or any of them since she'd left, and now she had two right where she and Sriracha had chosen a new home. Instead of being the typical social butterfly she sometimes thought she was, she kept to herself and tried to clear her mind so she could better handle instead of revealing an ugly outburst she didn't want to have to pay for. 

After a night of two of solidarity, Ocra found the spot where most of them congregated but there was no one in sight. She sighed and continued on, wondering if her other siblings had gotten together without her or if they'd been good little worker bees for @Sriracha, but she knew something was off with @Elora and between her newest friend and her brother, @Vihaan, she wasn't sure who might have more information on what to do or how to fix it.

For all that he admired her, Sriracha had spent woefully little time with Ocra. First she had been healing, and then he had been away, and even when they were both well and in proximity, they had not spent time together. Sriracha had been busy, yes, but he never wanted to be so busy that he could not spend time with a dear friend. A dear, beautiful friend.

Yet he had something on his mind, a question that had been burning at him, though admittedly less than his desire (platonically or not) to spend time with her. But it was that question that drove him to seek her out, checking her usual haunts and everywhere in between.

He crossed into her view with similar determination on his face, leaving her with a twisted expression of confusion. Her tail wagged back and forth a few times as she weaved her way toward him, closing the distance quickly. “Hey,” she said quietly, bumping her nose to the underside of his chin. “Sorry about the other day,” she added before backing up, ears drooped, as if she awaited punishment.

Footsteps and the sound of the ferns brushing fur called his attention to her first, and when he turned to see her approaching, Sriracha stopped. He grinned, his teeth an even line of yellow-white. Well, if it isn't my favorite girl, he said, followed by some mental flailing. Who says something like that anymore? What was this, the wolf fifties? Sorry, that was weird. Don't worry about the other day, I technically achieved most of what I wanted to there, anyway. I'll just call another meeting soon. But enough about that. That doesn't matter. How are you?

Sriracha didn’t seem too bummed about what happened, despite his outburst. It had been a lot at once and she still hadn’t sorted it all that well. There were still questions she didn’t have answers for but for the time being, she put them away. He brushed off the meeting entirely and directed it toward her, which is cause for surprise. 

“I’m okay. I guess? Still confused about how… you found my family,” she answered but shrugged anyway. “I mean, I’m glad they’re here,” she quickly picked back up as if she didn’t sound ungrateful, though she knew it wasn’t like Sriracha had gone out and hand selected a few family members just for her, but… still.

Now that they had gotten the initial bit of the conversation done, Sriracha felt comfortable moving closer. He did this not because her eyes looked really pretty up close (which they did) but because that was totally something you did during a normal conversation with a friend. And besides, this was a little more personal than most conversations he was having these days.

I found Vihaan in the middle of the woods. Brought him back to be our professional explorer, he said, carefully omitting the part where Sriracha had thought Vihaan wanted to fuck him. And I found Elora in the middle of nowhere. She was in bad shape when I found her. I dragged her halfway back here. So, uh, that's how I found them.

Ocra couldn’t help the frown that appeared on her features and she looked away, staring at the ground. While there were questions still in her head, she didn’t bother to ask them. Sriracha hadn’t done anything wrong, after all, and so why she’d been upset in the first place seemed a little silly now. “I’m glad you found them,” she told him with a bit of a smile returning to her muzzle and she lifted her head, stepping closer to gently nudge his cheek.

For a moment he was concerned by her troubled frown. Was she not happy that he had found her siblings? Then he realized that perhaps she had not wanted to be found by them. Was she escaping a troubled past? (Why was that so hot?) Relief (and a small amount of disappointment) flooded him when she expressed her thanks. Affection followed afterwards as she nudged him. He leaned into the touch, then thought that now was as good a time as any to ask. Hey, Ocra... he began.

Sriracha was silent then as he took to her affection and her tail beat a few times, thumping against his rump as her nudge turned into a nibble and then a lick upon his cheek. As he leaned into it, she did the same, and there was a comfort there she hadn’t known she had. There had been a fondness since they met, despite how strange he’d been, and her defense against Xan but the willingness to invite the young boy into his arms. He had a heart she knew she could never match and, perhaps, if she spent enough time with him, she could learn. 

“Mm?” was all she could managed.

It was easy to get physically affectionate with Ocra. She was his first companion upon entering the valley, and she had been a stalwart and loyal friend. He valued her company and he valued her opinion. Mouth gently parted, he nipped once at her cheek, then turned carefully so that he might look at her. I was thinking, you know. Once we really get this place settled, you and I could lead together. I want you by my side, Ocracoke. In this and in everything, he added privately, feeling it was too soon to share his affections for her.

The touch against her cheek put a tight feeling in her chest that she didn’t know how to explain. It wasn’t something she’d ever felt before and while she had questions on why, she sat it aside for the moment for his next words blindsided her.
 
She turned to him and blinked, brows knitting together. Should it be such a surprise? No, probably not, but she found herself to be anyway. Perhaps it was the way he said spoke to her, often using her full name instead of the one she shortened herself. Only her parents had ever really called her that and her siblings when they were being idiotic. Her ears drooped a little but she wagged her tail, slowly nodding her head after she considered the offer.
 
“I’ve never… I’ve never been a leader. I don’t know that I’ll be that good at it,” she confessed even though she realized she’d like to give it a shot. Sriracha was handing it to her and a smile crept upon her face as she leaned into him.

A part of him was glad that she hadn't seen through him to his obvious crush, which definitely had nothing to do with his decision to select her to be by his side. That'd be corrupt. Still, he almost wished she had noticed that he was super straight for her. It would certainly make things easier on him

From the way a grin crept across her lips, he had no doubt that it would be easy to convince her. Indeed, he probably didn't have any convincing to do. Still, he spoke earnestly. He wanted her to hear what he had to say, since it had worked so well for Xan and could do the same for her. You don't have to be good at it, he said. In the end he would be there, too, and he was nothing if not confident in his skills. You just have to try. I'll be right here for you. We'll do it together. He smiled back, ducking his head to nudge at her chest.

Sriracha managed to soothe some of her doubts and even though she didn’t think much of her abilities, she found herself leaning into him anyway. Her muzzle gently touched the top of his and pulled him close to her chest. His scent filled her nose and she closed her eyes, resting against his form. “Good, because I’ll probably suck at it,” she told him, laughter bouncing off his form.

He snorted at her statement.That's fine. Truth be told, I don't know what I'm doing. Sriracha went willingly into her embrace, breathing in the mingled scent of her and the grove. Of home, truly. This was his new beginning. This was what he had forged, and always Ocra was with him. It only seemed right to have her lead beside him. After all, it was she that had first joined him. It had always been Ocra and Xan, who was not yet ready for leadership, but whom Sriracha hoped would prove himself. They had become far more important to him than words could describe, but he managed to simplify. Hey, you want to be my girlfriend?

When Sriracha announced he didn’t really know what he was doing, Ocra felt another surge of relief. They could figure out together, at least, and she might not make a total fool of herself if they learned together. They should be able to find a comfortable place among the grove and the wolves they collect and the thought of standing next him only fueled that fire even more. However, when he spoke again, her ears fell back against her head and her jaws parted but the words lodged in her throat and struggled to make a sound more than a strangled doe. She took a breath before she bobbed her head a few times, wrinkled her nose, and buried her face into his shoulder as if she were too shy to speak now.