Jade Fern Grove dad's on a hunting trip

because i can. vex explains, exasperated; as if this were a thing he’s already explained ten thousand times before. for a long moment, the muscles in his shoulders jump as they pull taunt as he watches the other boy fix a broken fern; tending to it with a care that makes vex want to destroy it. again. he doesn’t share the empathy towards plants that ikiaq does. they’re plants.

clearly, vex had no inclination towards the botanist trade.

well i. don’t.

in spite of the boy who seems determined to tenderly fix what vex breaks, vex goes to another fern and tugs on it, feeling his anger and annoyance flair up again; and having no other outlet for it besides these plants ( and poor ikiaq ) it is them that he takes it out on; them that bares the brunt of his temper tantrum unfairly.

in vex’s seething destruction of the ferns and annoyance towards ikiaq his brother-pupsitter goes, for the time being, unnoticed.