175 Vol. 3 pt. 45 Patch 8.0: The Temple in the Fores (1/2)
After sending Rao and Shogun back over to The Shoebill to tell the girls aboard that those on shore were going to head back into the forest, checking to see if any of them wanted to come, the ashore group has ventured once more into the forest.
”I'm still surprised none of them wanted to come,” Fenrir says. ”Did they have a reason?”
”They said something about some test starting with a B and then the one with the cat ears told me to go away,” Rao explains.
”A test that starts with a B? You have any idea, Cass Cass?”
”How am I supposed to know?” Cassiel asks. ”There's tons of things that start with B.”
”Olly?”
”Nope,” Oleander answers.
”Now it's going to be bothering me, and if it's not something obvious, I've got a feeling that they're not going to tell me what the test is.”
While the group talks, Rock and Shogun walk side-by-side and keep on brushing their sides against each other. Whenever one of them runs ahead to look at something curious, the other follows. When one stops to sniff, the other does the same.
Even Fenrir has to admit that they're a really cute couple at this point. It pains him to admit it, but he does.
His little Rock is all grown up.
”How do we know we're going in the right direction?” Rao asks.
”Look down, asshole. There's giant tracks in the ground from that monster to follow back there. He chased us starting at the temple, so obviously, all we have to do is follow them back,” Cassiel explains.
”Hey, I wasn't here for that part, so I wouldn't know about all of that.”
”Use common sense. We're obviously following these tracks. Do you think we'd be following them if they weren't going to lead us back to the temple – our goal?”
”I – I guess you've got a pretty good point there,” Rao says, rubbing the back of his head before leaning over to Fenrir and whispering, ”Bro, how do you handle her? She's kind of a—”
”Don't say it,” Fenrir whispers back. ”One, no being disrespectful. Two, it would piss me off. Three, it would piss her off and you'd get chased through the forest for a few hours or until killed.”
”But, bro… do you know what I mean?”
”She's just—”
”Just what?” Cassiel asks, standing behind and between the two.
”Beautiful,” Fenrir answers.
”Wha-what?” Cassiel's face, predictably, turns red. ”Wh-why are you sa-saying things like that around this asshole?!”
”I love you, Cass Cass, and you're beautiful.”
”I – I, what – why are you—”
Fenrir can practically see the steam rising from her ears. ”I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he says, going in for the killing blow.
Cassiel covers her mouth with her hands as her eyes quiver from embarrassment and happiness. She tries asking him why he's doing this to her, but the only noises that come out from her mouth are various squeaks and mumbles that are absolutely unintelligible.
She doesn't even mind when Rao whispers, ”Nice one, bro,” to Fenrir. ”Wait, bro, why are you all red?”
The goal may have been to fluster Cassiel, but Fenrir flustered himself just as much in the process by saying those words to her.
”They're so cute together,” Oleander says while walking with both of his hands on the back of his head.
Fenrir and Cassiel look at him with the same embarrassed glare.
”I think I understand how now,” Rao says as he mentally takes notes.
”It sucks not having my Cor here with me. Rock and – what was his name, Shogun? Rock and Shogun are walking together, Fenny and Cass Cass have each other, my boyfriend is asleep, and then there's you,” Oleander says.
”H-hey, what's that supposed to mean? Come on, we're both men!”
”Don't lump me into the same category as you.”
”Then what are you?”
”Better than you,” Oleander says with a wink and a blown kiss.
Rock rushes ahead when she sees a particularly tasty snack lying around.
A rock.
There are two of them next to each other, and Shogun is standing next to her looking at the rocks.
Rock picks up one of the two rocks and crunches away at it, swallowing it after barely even chewing it.
Shogun tilts his head while looking at the rock.
Seeing that he hasn't eaten his yet, Rock nudges it with her nose and then watches him with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.
Shogun nudges the rock with his snout, licks it, and then picks it up in his mouth to try and chew on it.
He wants to whimper and yip from hurting his teeth against it, but he can't when next to Rock.
Instead, he drops it and nudges it over to her.
Rock looks at the rock, tilts her head, then nudges it back toward him.
Shogun shakes his head before nudging it back.
Rock barks at him, smacks the rock with her paw, and then pushes it back to him.