i'm lonesome, but happy

He couldn't do it.

Couldn't stand to see where she sat, and see that spot lay empty. To harbor memories of happiness, especially memories where he failed to save that happiness.

No, he couldn't do it.

So, the man left. Took nothing with him, not even a scrap of a keepsake. He knew he had to let it go, properly, and leave the misty and sea spray covered beach. The ocean reminded him of the leader, and he couldn't help but shiver at the sound of the leviathan between the rocks. It roared at him and begged for his flesh, too. Before the weight of mourning (or the leviathan) drug him down to the darkest depths of the water, he made way for... any direction.

He just picked one on a whim and started fucking walking. At first he thought it was just his mind. In all the time he had spent not paying attention to his surroundings, but more on himself, he hadn't noticed the more subtle changes. But, one night as he curled up beneath a blanket of stars, he fell into a deep sleep. Like the embodiment of sleep itself came to him and gave him the most vividly lucid dream imaginable. When his eyes had finally opened the next morning, his head felt heavy. Really fucking heavy.

Like somebody had strapped 30-pound boulders onto his forehead, he had to force himself up off the ground. The light pained his eyes for a moment, where he struggled to look out onto the horizon. Something was.. different? At his back were no longer the mountains he had left, but a much different set. A mountain still, yes, but the peaks had changed. It was so odd.

The place he lay was still asleep, yes the world directly around him seemed similar enough to how it looked before he fell asleep, but everything else around him was different.

Had he just not been paying attention? Did he change directions at some point? Has he really been walking for this long? He couldn't tell. He frankly, however, also didn't really give a shit. As long as he wasn't back at the ocean. Back on that beach, staring into the water and wondering when it was his turn to be eaten by the beast.

So, he began to walk again. To cross the land with no direction in mind. Just walking.

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The woman woke with a start, gasping softly as she did so. She scrambled up into a sitting position and looked around with wide eyes. She didn't know where she was and had no memories, which scared her more than she would admit. Taking a deep breath, she took the moment to calm herself, closing her eyes and shaking her fur out slightly. This place was new and strange to her, but she also had a small thought in the back of her mind telling her that there was something vaguely familiar.

She sighed slightly and stood up, nose to the air as she wandered. Not long after, she caught the scent of another and quickly walked over, watching the man from a distance. "Uh, excuse me sir?" She called out, hoping she found someone who could possibly help her out.

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A voice of feminine charm rang in his ears, though it fell flat in comparison to how it would've hit before. He thought about not even looking at her or paying her any mind, but he sighed deeply instead. That would just be disrespectful. Mama would slap him upside the head.

He turned his head slowly, just enough so his blue eyes could see her, though didn't move his body an inch. The man stared for a moment, looking her up and down with a furrowed brow.

"What..??" His voice grumbled out. The man couldn't help it, but his mouth leapt ahead of his thoughts and despite his better judgement, his disturbance showed. There was a guttural sound in the back of his throat. Partially just the way his voice sounded, but mostly from an annoyed gurgle that bubbled with it.

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She watched the man for a moment, raising an eyebrow as she heard his slightly rude and deep acknowledgement towards her. She hesitated for a split second before offering him a small apologetic smile. "My apologies, I didn't mean to bother you, I just woke up here with.... well with no memories and I was hoping to learn anything I could." She nodded her head gently, taking a small step back so that she wasn't too close into his personal space. 

She sat down and cocked her head to the side slightly, relaxing herself in an attempt to show she didn't want to hurt him.

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The man audibly sighed. Less at her, and more at himself. A wash of regret came over him and he winced at the ground at the feeling of almost-embarrassment crept into his veins.
"It fine- no, I'm sorry- I-" He stumbled over words in attempt to rectify his mistake.

There was a stressed look in his eyes, some level of dark bagginess beneath his pristine blues. He was just so tired, both physically and metaphorically. The strange feeling of drowsiness still dripped from his skull, making him feel like he was wading in swampy goo. The air thick and heavy.

Campion took a deep breath to stabilize his racing mind before speaking again. "Many wake up just like you. It is often the way of this world." He informed regretfully. There wasn't much for answers the man could provide, nobody really knew why the world was like this.

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She seemed to relax slightly as he apologized, but would offer him a small comforting smile. "It's alright, I understand that I may have come across a bit suddenly." She seemed to easily brush off his aggression earlier, and continued to treat him with nothing but kindness in return. She heard his words and cocked her head to the side slightly, something gnawing at her mind. "That sounds.... familiar, but I'm not sure why." She shook her head, a bit of an annoyed sigh escaping her lips. "I have this strange feeling like this has happened before, but I can't remember anything about these lands." She said, mostly to herself. 

Turning back to him, she would smile slightly. "My name is Zella by the way." She offered, hoping to keep their friendly conversation going.

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He felt bad for her and showed it in his expression.
"This land likes to steal people's dreams. Like some sort of memory-hungry beast." The man felt as much was true. Even he, too, struggled with maintaining his thoughts upon his first arrival. And even now, he felt disheveled and disoriented by it. At this point, he wanted it to end.

"Campion." He chuffed. "But just 'Camp' is fine." 
Sure, he had no intention of making long-term friends but, the little lady had offered her own name and out of courtesy he would return his. It was the least he could do for someone who had seemingly just come to this land and it's cruel mysteries.

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She cocked her head to the side slightly, her ear flicking slightly in curiosity. So this was more or less normal in this world? Yeah, because that was totally comforting... "It's nice to meet you Campion." She wasn't much for nicknames. 

She nodded her head regardless, ignoring the want to ask more questions about his comment. She didn't want to continue bothering him with pointless questions like a pup. And so instead, she would sniff the air for a moment, only asking one thing. "You're not from a pack, are you?" She asked, curious to know more about the surrounding packs, but not knowing how much he actually knew.

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The question sent a sting of pain through his chest, but he tried not to seem too reactive of the question.
"I uh- no. I was.. But no." He kept his words concise and withdrew physically, trying to display that he wasn't fond of that line of questioning. Not that it was any of her fault, just that he'd prefer if the conversation didn't go that route.

"There's quite a few in the area. I'm sure there'd be someone to take you in if that's what you were looking for." He shoved the topic off of himself and more into the general. "Though now I don't know who's left." The world had shifted, and the land changed. Perhaps he was just turned around and lost sight of the mountains he came from but, the air smelled different. Like he was completely removed. 

He wasn't sure how to help this woman. He could barely help even himself. All the answers she sought were answers he was still looking for, even after almost a year of wandering here.

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She saw him back away when she spoke of a pack and winced slightly, realizing that she might have drudged up some bad memories without trying. "Right, my apologies." She nodded her head, offering a very apologetic smile before glancing around. "I won't keep you any longer, but thank you for helping me." She would start sniffing slightly, trying to figure out what direction she wanted to head into. 

If he chose to leave, she would simply call out to him one last time. "Safe travels!" She said simply before starting to head in her own direction, still a bit confused about everything.

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The beast wished he wasn't so freshly wounded so as to come off more straight-headed, but her leaving was probably for the best. He hoped she would run into someone with a lot more of a stable head to give them some kind of meaningful or helpful answers.

He dipped his head to her, trying to show her respect as he said his goodbyes. "Stay safe out there..!" The man called back to her. She seemed kind and gentle enough, undeserving of some of the evils this land could generate. Hopefully she would steer clear of such things, but all a man could do was hope.

Blue eyes gazed out after her, watching as she went. His last-ditch effort to be helpful in any manner before he, too, went on his way. Back into the wind and wild, where the grass whistled hollow words and the trees echoed forth the dream of peace.

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