//I GOT CARRIED AWAY I'M SORRY. JUST LOOK AT THE LAST TWO PARAGRAPHS IF YOU DON'T WANNA READ ALL THIS

The male had already come to terms and acknowledged the fact that he could never really let go of Lance. He couldn't stop chasing after the idea that he could find the male again and that they could be together again. But, it had been a year by now. Why couldn't he find him? What was the male doing that made it so hard to find him? Was he dead? He couldn't be. He needed to believe that he would find him. It was probably unhealthy for him to hold on so long, but he couldn't help himself. He missed the feeling he had when he was with Lance. He missed the comfort. He missed the...excitement.

And that is why he was out today. The day was not abnormal. He had tried to rejoin his old home, but that bored and unmotivated feeling would not go away, and would lead to him not being able to fit back in like he had so desperately wanted. He had missed the Clan so much; he did not understand why being there did not bring him as much joy as he wanted. None of the past he had been running from before made a presence there and all of the others that he met there were lovely. He even got to join with an old friend - one of which he had recently adopted as a daughter. But the feelings just would not go away. Times had changed.

He had been spending the past few weeks just wandering. It was not a life he was unfamiliar with, but he still hated to have to do it alone. He was so tired of being so cut off from society. He did not even know how his current friends were because he would travel so far away from them. He did hope that they were all okay. But, he wouldn't find out. Today was not abnormal to the past several, as he started it out with wandering. But, it would not be long before a familiar presence would visit him for the first time in quite a few months. Their interaction was always limited. Sometimes he did not mind that so much, though. Their relationship was complicated. He turned to the growing figure of Nate quietly, holding a slightly suspicious expression.

"You may want to hear this," the wolf greeted simply in his sharp, blank voice. The tiger peered to him with interest, feeling a mixture of uncomfort and interest. He knew that the wolf always had a purpose when he approached someone else. He was not one for idle chitchat. But, most of his purposes ended up being negative, which has caused the tiger's extreme distrust in the male. He still believed in the male's ability to change, and could even notice a difference. A small one, but still a change, nonetheless. He shifted himself and waited for the male to continue, knowing Nate was not one to stall. He always got straight to the point.

"Now, before you react, keep in mind that this will not be easy. I have come to tell you that I have found...Lance," he explained to the male, narrowing his eyes as he forced out the name. He seemed to be very uncomfortable about the situation, for some reason. But, Royalguard did not care too much. As the news hit him he couldn't help himself from jumping up with shock and excitement, an almost childish glee entering him as he processed the words. "You did? Where? Let me see him!" the male demanded in his higher pitched, much more expressive voice. How the heck did he find him? He was never actively searching for the male, was he? No, that wouldn't make sense.

Nate let in one inward sigh before continuing. "I can take closer to him, but I can't guarantee he'll be right there." He explained, shuffling himself. He spoke quietly and seemed unsure of himself. "You'll be leaving this world behind." The wolf said vaguely, not bothering to get into specifics. He seemed almost annoyed by the idea. But, maybe annoyed wasn't the right word. He was certainly bothered. However, the tiger did not take too much time to consider his words. The longer they talked the longer it could take for him to see Lance again. He missed him so much. He couldn't understand anything else now. "Take me to him! he was growing desperate. Royalguard didn't care. This was too important.

And so, Nate would do as he said. He grabbed onto the male in an unexpected and out of character hug, although it did not seem to intentionally be a hug. More of just clasping onto the male. As the world around them began to fade away into a piercing light, Royalguard realized what was happening. They were literally teleporting away. It was too late to reconsider. He was leaving it all behind. Good thing he had everything he needed. Besides proper goodbyes to his friends. It was too late now.

They landed. Both collapsed from the impact and Royalguard would wake up a few hours later. He lifted his head, finding himself in a familiar field. This was where he had last seen Lance. This was where he had died. He would then look to Nate, seeing that the male was still unconscious. A lot of energy had likely been taken out of him. The tiger would get up and look around, trying to make sense of his situation now. He knew he would need to stay with Nate until he woke up, as it would be wrong for him to just leave the male here. The tiger settled back down for now, unsure how to feel. "Lance? Where are you?" he called out loudly once, and then once more, and four more times after that. There was no response. He is not here.

The next few days passed by in a blur. Nate remained unconscious and Roy spent the days mostly by feeding himself and getting used to the nostalgic surroundings. It was almost sad, to be here again. He stared at the sky at night, pointing out the constellations to himself and occasionally calling out for his old companion with no luck. A sadness ran through him as he relaxed near his creator. They'd never been on such good terms, and it was honestly probably only because they had no one left. He felt lonelier than he'd ever felt. He wasn't sure if this was a bad idea yet.

Finally, Nate would wake up. His movements were slow and still clearly worn, and Roy watched him quietly. "He's not here." He would finally say as he got up, looking around with disappointment. He then looked to Roy, sighing. "Why did you stay here? There were no threats," he asked next. "You could have looked for him." He continued. It was honestly unlikely that Nate did not think Roy would stay by his side, but the tiger would think of an answer either way. "You know I wouldn't just leave you."

"Never mind that, though. Now what?" The tiger questioned, figuring the wolf had some sort of a plan. But, judging by the male's thoughtful expression, he assumed he would be proven wrong. "That's up to you. Figure it out. I need to do some research." Of course he would. Royalguard was disappointed, but not surprised. This would be a new world for both of them. Were there any Clans here? Last time he was here, there were a few gangs that he and Lance had run into, but no Clans. But, maybe he would be proven wrong. "Keep in touch." Without another word, they went separate ways.

The tiger spent the next week or so in mostly silence. He let himself relax and take time to think, still trying to process the situation. How did he and Lance run into each other in the first place? Royalguard could not recall just teleporting to a new world during the travels that took him to the feline. This was weird. However, he was most focused on the fact that there was a chance that he could find him now. A much higher chance. Perhaps it would not be long before he did find him. He would be so happy...

The tiger did manage to get word from some other travelers that he ran into that there were some groups forming. This peaked his interest. He decided to go investigate. He certainly did not want to spend his time here alone. Nate certainly did not seem to be interested in traveling with him, nor did he expect him to. Just thinking about that being a possibility just seemed too awkward to him. Their history with each other was too messed up for them to try and spend lots of time with each other right now. It had no doubt been many years, but somehow it was still too soon for both of them, it seemed. Nate certainly did seem sorry about it all nowadays, though. That was an improvement.

Anyways, after some more days of walking around, the male did manage to find what he believed to be a growing group that was described. Snowbound. Their territory slightly reminded him of the Clan he used to lead. The frosty mountains were always a home to him. He approached the territory with a slightly nervous expression, looking around cautiously. He had never felt so unsure about anything in his entire life. This was so strange. He wasn't even sure if he was excited about it. He was just relieved to know he wouldn't be alone here.

The large black and white tiger let in a slightly shaky sigh. His orange eyes had a mixture of curiosity and doubt in them, which contradicted his normally welcoming and bold appearance. He just hoped this would work out how he wanted it to. "Umm, greetings! I heard there was a group here, or something? May I join?"

TAGS — code by spacexual

An approach did not take long, and he noted it to be a young canine with a limp. Upon seeing the boy's own smile, the male would offer one back, trying to make his doubtful feelings go away. It wasn't completely foreign to him, at least. Lance and him had traveled some parts of it, but certainly not much of it. Royalguard's illness had settled in before they could explore much farther. But, it was still new. It reminded him of when he joined his very first Clan, except he was much less excited this time. And his brother is gone.

But, maybe he should find a reason to be more excited. After all, he was so much closer to finding Lance. And Nate was making process, even if it wasn't a lot. It was something. This could be a new beginning. He could wash away the sins from his past. No one knew who he was. He could start over, in a sense. But, he was kicked out of his thoughts as the boy spoke up, confirming what he'd heard. He nodded as the boy introduced himself, blinking a few times to make sure he was really knocked out of his thoughts.

"A pleasure to meet you, Jacob. I'm Royalguard, or Roy, Milia." He introduced, his voice shaking slightly as he let out his last name. He hadn't used it in...a very long time. He wasn't even really sure if he should be using it. He did not know about his family's history and if he even wanted to be associated with them. But, it seemed to have just come out. It was too late to take it back now. He slowly began to speak again, his expression becoming much more of its natural warmness, as he figured he ought to start some conversation. "The territory's quite beautiful, reminds me of old homes. Do you enjoy the cold? I love it."

TAGS — code by spacexual