A nice nap often cleared Mojave's mind of any fog; a little rest went a long way for him, restoring his energy and reigniting his motivation to take on the day. Those months of tracking that beast had made him value every minute he could get to relax and break away from the constant stresses present in his life.

As far as Mojave knew, the nap he'd just recently awoken from shouldn't have been any different- yet, instead of seeing the world through a new, clearer lens, Mojave felt more confused than he'd ever been.

Perhaps it had been the drastic changes in his life; he'd rejected what he'd seen as his life's purpose not too long ago. Ever since then he'd wander down to the beach, occasionally looking out at the water. He no longer came here to stalk what remained of the infected, yet he always felt as though he was searching for something when his eyes trailed over the sand and the sea. (In truth, he knew exactly what he was searching for, but it was far easier to deny it than to come to terms with it. After all, he had no clue if he'd see that strange swimmer ever again... but he didn't stop hoping)

Today, however, this was not the beach he knew. His eyes had opened to a very different sight than the one he remembered oh-so-well, and his body shivered in the cold. His saving grace was the extra layers of fur that'd grown in during his time on the island, which was certainly a place far colder than his home.
Truly, this was not that island; snow draped itself over every surface, the air nipped at his bones, and a strange smell mixed with the salty air- one that his nose couldn't quite recognize. He glanced back, looking at the land around him; not a single rock stood where he remembered, not a single feature was the same. Was he losing his mind? Could this be a dream of some sort? Mojave felt more disoriented than ever before, saved from panicking only by the steady pace of his shaky breaths. He'd come here to mope, not to freeze!
A sound caught his attention now, head flicking towards it. Something emerging from the water, and as his eyes fell upon this something, Mojave found the first (and only) thing familiar to him; Rancor. A surge of energy rushed through him, just for a moment. Could it really be? No, this must be some sort of dream. Though come to think of it, he'd felt something strange when getting up from his nap, when he'd been walking towards the beach- he hadn't been looking where he was going, in all honesty, tracing the path by memory until he felt the air grow chilly.

Mojave padded a few steps forward, stopping a short distance away from Rancor. Is that... are you...? A shiver cut off his wondering. Where WERE they? He'd have to ask Rancor if he knew what was going on- oh, if he weren't so damn cold, he'd be bounding over!
Instead, Mojave stood there, voice faltering off. His eyes broke away from the smaller male's, looking around. I didn't think it would snow so much while I was asleep... he murmured to himself, not yet willing to accept he was no longer standing on that beach he'd known for years.

Mojave angled his head away as Rancor shook himself off. Well, maybe I just slept through the snowfall... feels colder than I remember, though. Perhaps it was best to ignore the oddities for now... maybe he was waking up still. His second question caught him off guard- though he'd expected Rancor to forget Ferinine a bit, he hadn't anticipated him forgetting that much of the island's layout. Blizzardclan...? They're not... Mojave followed his gaze now, padding to the side slightly to get a look at what Rancor was pointing to. He fell silent, staring curiously at the glow of the fire. Why was it pink? He'd never seen a pink fire before... at least, he was assuming it was fire. The last time he'd seen light that color was in the boxes, but he couldn't imagine it being anything other than a flame... not if this were Ferinine.

Or, perhaps, he thought with annoyance, a large cat of some sort. Mojave scoffed quietly to himself, but the memories of his momentary antagonist quickly faded as he drew in his next breath, eyes focusing on the glow again. There was something alluring about its scent... He couldn't deny that he, too, was curious as to what it was.

Must be. He flicked his tail, staring at it fully. Can't imagine it'd be much else, as weird as the wolves here might be... Mojave trailed off again. He simply couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't Ferinine. The land didn't look right, now that he was facing inland. Nothing was quite as he remembered it... had he hit his head earlier? Mojave shook said head, trying to shake these feelings away. He should be over the moon that Rancor had returned, not distracted by a little snowfall. Even if it was awfully cold...
It'd be nice to stay warm while we catch up. I sure hope it's a fire of some kind... Mojave admitted, pacing after Rancor now. Speaking of which, his shivery voice picked up a tone of excitement suddenly, ears perking up. You're back! I mean- wow! You came back! It's great to see you, I.. thought about our last meeting a lot. Actually, I've been thinking a lot lately, you have NO idea how glad I am you're here. Mojave had been meaning to talk to Rancor ever since their last talk- even if he wasn't certain there would be another talk between them. Mojave had finally made up his mind- he hoped that rancor would notice his harness was missing, as he'd gnawed his way through it a while back, giving up on his old style of life. Mojave was turning over a new leaf! He'd taken Rancor's advice.

Brrr. This had really better be a fire... whoever had made it, Mojave hoped they would not mind their presence. Assuming, that is, that someone had made it in the first place.

A twinge of disappointment crested the hills of Mojave's mind as their walk turned into one of silence. Honestly, this was what he should have expected- hell, the two of them actively talking in the first place was a new thing, in a positive manner at least. Still, this could not stop a quiet sigh from escaping his muzzle, giving a nod. Yeah, no, you're right. Priorities, heh... His ears relaxed, eyes trailing off to look once more at their surroundings. Frankly, there were plenty of things that should've been higher priority in his mind at the moment. Maybe, he thought, he was just too sentimental.

Mojave laid down not too far from Rancor, resting on his side as well. The warmth of the fire was much more than welcome, its heat quieting the tremors in Mojave's body. He hardly lifted his head much to look down the cliff, only arching his brows. I took a nap earlier, woke up to all this snow. Didn't think anything of it at first but, the longer I'm awake the weirder I think it is that the usual heat of the Ferinine beach isn't present. I wasn't going to say anything about it, but the terrain looks different, too... I'm certain you came out of the water and I'm certain I slept near the beach. What a mystery... at least it put him back on track mentally.
Until, of course, Rancor finally gave in and re-initiated their chat. Mojave perked up a little, feeling more excited than usual to be listened to. Perhaps it was just the amount of time he'd spent away from the shorter wolf. Yeah, that's probably what it was.

Oh, right! Mojave perked up once more, delighted. A lot has changed since you were last around, liiiikee... Mojave paused, looking at Rancor expectantly. Surely Rancor would notice the lack of a harness on him, right? Right?
Either way, he pressed onward with the conversation only a few seconds later. I actually started trying to integrate myself with one of the packs, started a new chapter in my life. Things have been great...! I haven't seen my coworker much, he keeps disappearing around the same time that infected does... but honestly, the silence has helped me compose myself. Although. It does mean there hasn't been a lot ACTIVELY going on for me. I moreso wanted to talk about something else with you, but it's... a twinge of warmth fell over his face, and Mojave averted his gaze. Well, we can talk about it later. What's been up with you? Collect any more trinkets or whatnot? I thought you said you had a few trophies last time we spoke. How's life been back in sea-wolf-swimmer-land?

Catching his breath after speaking, Mojave began to catch on to something else, turning his head towards the fire and sniffing. A look of intrigue fell over him, and he leaned in slightly, nose twitching for a few more moments. Say, have you been smelling that sweet smell? Like roses and nectar? I think it's coming from the fire itself... Mojave's posture relaxed further, muscles easing up, his worries beginning to melt. Though he was listening for Rancor's response still, he had grown even more curious about this oddly pink set of flames...

Eerie, right? Mojave responded, eyes darting to the side. By now I thought someone would've at the very least walked past us, or that there'd be somebody else here checking this fire out. It's weirdly quiet, While the alone time was (secretly) appreciated, it was incredibly unusual... On Ferinine, there was always something going on, some noise to distract you or some wolves that you could see nearby. The packs were highly active, with only two of the four camps being known for their more quiet natures; even then, there was still always one or two hounds lingering around.

For supposed Blizzardclan territory, or anywhere else supposedly on Ferinine, this was a jarring occurrence.

Mojave took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he finally felt warm. (Soft, even. Was it normal to feel this relaxed? The theory that he'd hit his head somewhere was gaining more traction in his mind) I'm glad it's not just me that feels like something's off. Do you think there's something going on between the packs? Although he was the one who spent most of his time on the island, he still felt compelled to ask Rancor, as if the traveler would have any idea.
Oh, uhm, right... The warmth rose to Mojave's face again, but this time, his anxiety was far less potent. He instinctively drew in another breath, and the effect of the flames eroded his hesitance even further. I... when we last talked, I felt a strong connection between us. It was almost something... um, special to me, I guess. I never thought that way of any of the other wolves I met, and none of my coworkers ever gave me that feeling. Mojave's eyes met Rancor's as Rancor's gaze fell upon him. He waited a moment, internally cringing at the way his heart fluttered. Was he really falling for this guy...?

If it hadn't been for the aphrodisiac working its way through his system, Mojave would have backpedaled right then and there, tried to get out of admission. But the way Rancor looked in the light of the fire, and the now-hot feeling inside Mojave's body, it all pushed the words right out of him. I think I have feelings for you.

Oh. That was more direct than he'd intended. I mean..! What you said, last time. It really impacted me, I gave up on my old life, you started showing up in my head, and I admit it, I came to the beach many times hoping you'd be back It was all spilling out now, his reservations thrown to the wind.

Mojave recoiled in shock, not expecting to be met with such aggressive pushback. Oh-Uhm-I mean- The calm he'd been feeling was momentarily disturbed by a pang in the heart, having had his confession responded to with nothing less than hate for every sentiment within it. A look of hurt nearly made its way on his face, but Mojave clenched his jaw, trying to force a poker face. He shouldn't have said any of that, really, it was his fault for letting his words out so loosely (speaking of which, he was having trouble rationalizing anything in a proper manner- someone must've put something in this flame, because ever since he got a proper whiff of its smoke, things had felt weird in his mind and body...) His eyes broke off of Rancor, falling down to the floor in shame. A few times, he opened his mouth to respond, but he had nothing to say.

He may have stayed that way until he finally found the will to muster some sort of apology, or even some sort of angry response of his own, if it weren't for what Rancor said next; the smaller male's words completely threw him off again. I'm sorry? he blurted out. Did Rancor think he'd just-? After what he just said?

His clarification threw Mojave off again. He hadn't thought it was meant in a gay way until Rancor said that. A little spark of hope flittered up from within, but was quickly stamped out. There was no way Rancor felt even remotely similar to him. He'd made that much clear.

... but if it meant Mojave wouldn't lose him again... and with the fire doing most of the thinking for him... U-Uhm, yeah, sure. Okay. I'm- I didn't mean any of it, really, I think there's something in the fire that's messing with my head. Sorry. He didn't even sound like he believed his own lies, only mumbling them out to try and convince himself. To no avail, obviously.
Mojave stood up, finding that his legs were a little more wobbly than he'd remembered. Surely he wasn't also tired... they hadn't walked that much to get here, had they?
Still uncertain, the tan wolf stepped back into the mix of slush and snow to get over to Rancor, settling down behind him. He did his best to keep their contact to a minimum- not wanting to trigger another hateful reaction- but in order to reach his shoulders, Mojave'd need to lean against him a little bit. Lifting a paw and wondering why in the world he was doing a favor for this guy, Mojave did his best to massage Rancor, pressing into the fur of the other with noticeable effort.

I, um. You can just forget about. Everything. I just said. Stars, he felt stupid. Stupid and dejected and upset. And very, very confused, and maybe just a little bit helplessly hopeful that he could fix things.