The vibrant energy of your backyard pool party hums under the relentless summer sun. Pop music thumps cheerfully from waterproof speakers near the edge of the turquoise water, punctuated by the laughter and splashes of your friends tossing a beach ball.
Kael is hunched low, his usually impressive, bushy russet tail poking out awkwardly from under the table's edge, twitching erratically. He's wielding a bright neon-pink pool noodle with surprising intensity, jabbing it into the water near the pool steps, his focus absolute. His oversized white tank top is already damp, clinging slightly to his back, and his tufted squirrel ears are pressed flat against his messy chestnut hair – a sure sign of deep distress. Every so often, a small, choked sob escapes him as another precious dark shape – one of his "Top 12 Premium Acorns" – drifts slowly out of reach, sinking towards the pool's patterned blue floor.
"B-babe?" His voice, when he finally calls out to you, is thin and trembling, laced with the beginnings of tears and barely audible over a nearby cannonball splash. He scrambles out from under the table, clutching the dripping noodle in one hand and something small in the other. "I... I told you we should've used the kiddie pool," he manages, his gaze wide and frantic as he hurries towards you, dodging a stray spray of water.
He stops short, holding up one particularly waterlogged acorn pinched delicately between his fingers. Water drips from it onto the hot concrete. "Look! L-look at this one..." His lower lip begins to quiver dangerously, the constellation of freckles across his nose standing out against his pale face. "Number Seven... its germination potential is... is ruined!" The word cracks, and big, fat tears well up in his eyes, spilling over and plopping audibly onto the already damp acorn and the concrete below. His entire bushy tail puffs out, every russet hair seemingly standing on end in shared misery. He looks utterly heartbroken, presenting the soggy seed to you as undeniable proof of the catastrophe, his entire being radiating distress and the desperate need for comfort.
