Coconut Grove dixie dregs

for Parivaar wolves/hopefuls! c'mere and get them points. can be for any Quest you desire.

things felt better, now. maybe it was his slew of positive interactions over the past couple of weeks, or the fact that his past was slowly starting to slip behind him. the nightmares had largely ceased, the regrets barely a twinge when he rose in the morning. day by day, he moved on. how long would it be before aditya disappeared entirely, and nothing but govinda remained?

the agouti male skirted the edges of the grove, eyes lifted to the sky, turning more gray with the hours. night was coming, and with it, a storm. snow, maybe. would it touch the palm trees, or was this truly an oasis in the north, a bulwark against winter? only time would tell.

for now, he was content to take stock of what hari had given him to start over. new faces, new friends. he had always liked starting over, but it had never come at the heels of such a faux pas of catastrophic proportions. had he fucked up? sure--but he had never burned bridges quite like he had at undersea, and he likely never would again.

so this was different. this wasn't just a fresh start, this was a rebirth, and he knew it. and he would take full advantage of it until he breathed his last in this new life. . .and then, god willing, he might have peace.

he's tempted to make good on his promise and visit undersea, as he'd told the cute boy with silver eyes, but he wants to see more of the coast first. it's so beautiful, even if he's starting to get lonely. the overpopulation in the barrens had ensured he never had a moment to himself in his youth, and at daisy fields —
well. he doesn't want to think about that right now. which turns out to be easy enough, because there's a distraction in the sky; a storm is building, sure to hit with the coming night, and he suddenly regrets not visiting the island. maybe he could have stayed the night, cuddled up next to that cute boy somewhere dry and warm. but no, he's here with all these weird-looking trees and the giant hairy balls they drop, confused and clutching one of the latter as best as he can. he's pretty sure he knows what to do with this thing, actually. and he's so determined to do it, he marches right past the agouti stranger near the outskirts of the grove. he hardly notices him, actually. he's on a mission — to toss this weird thing into the ocean as far as it will fly. mostly because it sounds really satisfying.

there was a slow flash of red, and govinda was reminded suddenly of engel--his heart caught in his throat--but the logical part of his brain caught up quickly. he's got white on his legs, it noted detachedly, and besides, engel is dead. swallowing down the sudden surge of emotion, govinda trotted after him at an angle, noticing the coconut clutched in his jaws.

arrey, he called out, lips splitting into an open-mouthed smile. what're you up to with that coconut? feeling a bit fiendish, govinda added, you know it's rude to steal coconuts from other wolves. very serious crime, i've heard. he let out a quiet snort of laughter and continued on, long legs catching him up while he waited for the other to stop--or not.

the stranger pursues him, calling out in a strangely-accented voice; that alone is intriguing enough to give him pause, but the man's next words send him into a panic before he fully registers the tone. he spins around, dropping the coconut. o-oh, i'm so — the sorry dies in his throat as he takes in the other's expression, and he's immediately embarrassed. you — weren't serious, were you? he asks rhetorically, tone sheepish. it's tempting to stew in his shame a few moments longer, but his curiosity wins out. so this is a coconut? he gestures to the cursed brown ball with one paw, gaze brightening with the prospect of new information. oh, but he probably owes him an answer first, right? i was uh — i was gonna throw it in the ocean.

he felt kind of bad for startling the boy, but tried to keep the sensation at bay, shaking his head. he was just joking, after all. of course not, govinda said gently, smiling as he drew to a stop. he nodded, bringing his nose to sniff gently at the fruit. it smelled like nothing else in the world, a kind of sweet musk, something spicy and warm.

yes, it's a coconut, he continued, lifting his head to stare at the palms. it grows on those trees. why were you going to throw it in the ocean? he asked, with no particular malice or judgment in his tone. of all the things i've heard wolves do with coconuts, that's a new one. what good would it do? perhaps the boy knew something that he did not.

he tries to swallow back his embarrassment, shrugging in response to the question. i dunno. it... sounded fun, i guess? now it just sounds stupid. he still kind of wants to do it, though. he glances between the coconut and the other wolf, fairly shamed but still curious. so... what do wolves do with them, then?

maybe they had different definitions of fun, though it didn't matter--he wasn't going to (explicitly) make fun of another guy for having a laugh. instead, he smiled gently. it's a fruit--you can crack it open and suck the milk out, he explained. they're much more common in the south than they are here.

he cared much less about coconuts than he did learning more about this oddball. i'm govinda, he supplied, wagging his tail slowly behind him. you live nearby, or just passing through?