Ian gave Jared yet another skeptical look as the younger of the two continued looking around the surrounding area with more than a bit of jumpiness. Ian’s eyes moved to follow Jared’s darting gaze for a few moments as well, before finally shaking his head and dropping their rolled up tents and packs to the ground and speaking up again, “So, exactly what is it that I wasn’t supposed to be flipping out about?” he couldn’t help asking at last.

“What?” Jared returned, startled from his continued appraisal of the area to finally turn back to Ian at the sound of the question.

“I’m assuming you thought you saw…something?” Ian asked as he glanced around once more, himself, before moving to the stream to get rid of his own morning stubble.

“I…maybe?” was all Jared managed, still casting a few more looks around, though with a tinge of defeat as there was still no sign that they were anything but alone out there after all.

“Well, was it something that might try and eat us?” Ian asked with a tinge of condescension as he tried not to smirk.

“I…doubt it?” Jared attempted some answer.

“Then I doubt there’d be any flipping out. This is me, remember?” Ian scoffed, finally allowing the slight smirk as he went about his task.

Finally letting out his own breath and forcing himself to re-secure the knife to his jeans under the fur wrap, Jared cast one last look around as he forced his feet to carry him over to retrieve his pack and tent from where Ian had left them on the ground nearby. He swallowed again as he waited for Ian while trying yet again to decipher anything at all about that morning’s more than strange encounter.

On one hand, he had had visions of this person already, but they were so brief and lacking of any context whatsoever, that that fact alone provided no answers. Then, there was also the fact of how this strange person, who at least appeared human, left no trace of their presence, which somehow had eluded even the most observant among them, when it came to life in the wild, anyway. Not that Jared could even come to any explanation about even the way they had moved. They simply seemed to appear and disappear at will, with no logical way of moving even that short of a distance, at least in any normal way. Not that anything was really falling into the realm of normal since he had originally started getting these flashes at all.

On that thought, he had to allow another in. It was true that his visions, themselves, had already undergone a significant change after just one night on this strange planet. And now it had been nearly six months since their arrival, and he was indeed six months older, which also forced him to take into account Kyle’s theory as well. He swallowed again as he looked back at where Ian still seemed blissfully unconcerned by even the thought that someone else had truly been there at all, not to mention a someone else from Jared’s own changing visions.

Ian then interrupted Jared’s thoughts again as he now appeared next to him, “You keep concentrating that hard and you’re gonna have an aneurysm, or something.” he stated with a wry shake of his head as he put away his razor and moved to pick up his own share of the supplies they had brought along.

“Huh?”

“Exactly.” Ian breathed the response as he continued to shake his head and looked off in the direction they had already planned on heading after they broke camp.

“Sorry, I just…” then Jared was the one who shook his head as he finished securing his own belongings. Ian simply scoffed as he looked back at the younger of the two, “What?” Jared asked in reference to that obvious response.

“Why do you have a way of making me feel like a goddamn dentist every time I try to talk to you?”

“Excuse me?” Jared asked, a little thrown, for more reasons than just Ian’s question.

“What? What the fuck has you all…contemplative?” he finally decided on a semi-fitting adjective.

Jared simply looked down again, seeming to almost feel guilty that his emotional state was a bit more translucent than he had hoped just then, “Well, what else is there to do out here but think, right?” he attempted.

“That’s your answer?“ another scoff, “Don’t make me threaten you again.” Ian returned without pause.

Jared just sighed heavily, “I don’t know…” he began with a stammer and a slight biting of his lip as he broke off eye contact.

“Why don’t I believe you?” Ian returned firmly.

Another sigh before Jared spoke up, “I just, I think my visions are getting, like weirder.”

Ian scoffed again, “Cause they were so normal before?” was Ian’s automatic response, then quickly added, “So, does that mean you had another vision, then?” he added with only slightly more gentleness.

“More like a remix, maybe?”

“A remix?” Ian asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I mean, it’s something I saw before, just different.”

“Oh goodie, we’re back to same but different. That’s one of my favorites.”

Jared sighed in frustration at finding himself once again trying to apply some logic to something so supremely illogical, “I mean, I saw it before, but the way I saw it was different.” he attempted.

“Yeah, that makes a lot more sense.” Ian retorted with his usual sarcasm.

“I mean, the way I saw the vision itself, that was different…I think.”

That was when Ian rubbed at his ocean-colored eyes in further frustration, “So it’s not just an extraction today, it’s a whole damn root canal?” was his response.

Jared shook his head again, also feeling his own share of frustration, “I mean, at first it was dreams, then I started seeing these dreamlike images while I was awake, and now, I think…the way they come to me, it’s even more different.”

“Why do I even try to speak to you?” Ian asked with defeat, “Why? Just tell me why.”

“I mean…” Jared attempted again, only to be interrupted once more.

“Did you see something new or not?” Ian finally asked bluntly, in some attempt to get to any point there may have been.

“Not exactly…” Jared began, though when he paused to try and continue the sentence, Ian interrupted once again.

“Ok, ’nough said.” Ian scoffed again, “So we’re going east today, right?” he asked, looking off toward the trees once more, making it clear that he was not in the mood to deal with any more frustration right then, himself.

“Um.” Jared began, a little thrown by Ian actually backing down, in some manner, for practically the first time ever. The younger of them then looked across the stream at the place where that strange person, or vision, had last appeared, and spoke up, “Maybe we should go north.” Jared offered thoughtfully.

“North?” Ian repeated as he glanced back at where Jared still stared at that spot.

“Yeah, across the stream, maybe, that way.” he gestured to the trees behind where the figure had been standing before vanishing into thin air, or so it had seemed.

“So, instead of going in a wider and wider circle, like the original plan, we’re gonna go in a …’Q?’” Ian raised a brow.

“If we keep updating the map, we should still be ok, right?” Jared attempted to sound confident, though his slight shrug gave the words a lack of weight.

“Oh you better keep that map updated.” Ian grumbled before giving in and starting across the stream in the direction Jared had indicated, stifling his own heavy sigh as they started yet another day’s exploration into the unknown.

After walking north for the entire day, Jared had somehow managed to convince himself that the person he saw had quite possibly been just a new, and somewhat interactive, version of an old vision. Though, that convincing did take a lot of work, considering all the possible explanations were just a little bit difficult to honestly accept. However, if his visions were indeed taking on this new and thoroughly confusing form, that would make telling reality from a vision even more difficult than telling a dream from a vision had already been, prior to their arrival, anyway.

He sighed slightly as they had finished their silent lunch, and he had forced his thoughts back to a previous predicament, rather than continuing to try and decipher that morning for any more hours right then. Jared moved through the screens on his computer as Ian packed away their utensils before casting the younger man another curious look as he studied the computer screen.

“Updating the map already?” Ian asked as he moved over to Jared’s seat, then glanced down at the screen, “That doesn’t look like a map.” he pointed out as he saw a screen full of text instead.

“No, I do the map at night.” Jared answered through continued distraction before finally forcing himself to stand next to where Ian already had his belongings secured for the next leg of their journey.

“So, just thought it was a nice day to do some reading then?” Ian pressed.

“You really can’t stand not knowing everything every second of every day, can you?” Jared returned, though his words lacked much volume.

“Why? Something you’re trying to hide from me?” Ian asked with a raised brow.

“No, it’s just stuff you wouldn’t under---” though Jared’s voice trailed off as they had only just started away from where they had finished their lunch, before he suddenly got distracted once more and wandered off to inspect some plant that had caught his eye.

“And you wonder why I’m always asking for answers?” Ian scoffed as he grudgingly followed after him, “First you’re seeing new and freaky versions of visions that you can’t even make an attempt at explaining, then you decide it’s a good time to have a nice read out here in the middle of the woods, and now you wanna pick posies instead of finding the ship? Can’t imagine why I always feel like there’s something, or some eighty things,” he added in a grumble, “that you’re always leaving out.”

Jared sighed as he bent down to inspect the plant that had caught his attention before finally turning his eyes back to Ian’s impatiently questioning gaze as he stood nearby, “I thought it was a plant we might need. Or at least close enough to pass. It’s not.” he stated with another simple sigh as he stood, “Come on, let’s go.” he gestured back toward their intended path.

“What plant are we suddenly looking for, along with the ship?” Ian had to add pointedly, “And is that why you’ve been constantly twenty feet behind me for the last few weeks instead of keeping up? I’ve seen you naked. I know you’re not exactly out of shape.” Ian had to add.

Jared simply looked down and moved his hand through his hair to hide his embarrassment at that final part of the statement, considering what he knew about Ian’s ‘preferences,’ “Yes, there’s three plants I’ve been looking for. Not having a lot of luck yet, that’s why I was re-reading: To see if there’s anything else close enough to what we need.”

“Plants now?” Ian shook his head again, “Ok, so we’re looking for the ship, and some weeds.” he scoffed as he looked around, “So, what kind of ‘plants’ should I be looking for, too? If that’ll speed things up.” he added in a near mumble.

Jared just sighed, “Wild carrot seed, Rutin, or Smartweed leaves.” he finally gave Ian a direct answer, despite knowing that the answer would most likely still not satisfy him.

“You lost me after carrot.” Ian returned with a raised brow.

Jared shook his head again, “Well, you wanted an answer.”

Ian shook his own head then, “And I’m supposed to be the impossible one?”

“Hmm?” Jared returned.

“So, that’s what you were reading?” Ian moved on, finally continuing in their newly intended path.

“Yeah. It’s a book I just sort of skimmed over the first time.” Jared offered as he moved to follow Ian, still keeping his eyes on the plant life, or any other curiosity that he might be shown.

“Skimmed?” Ian scoffed, “I sure as hell hope you didn’t ‘skim’ whatever book told you how to take care of a pregnant woman, too.” he worried pointedly.

Jared scowled slightly, “No, most of the books, I read thoroughly, more than once. Some though, they weren’t exactly widely accepted, so I didn’t put a lot of time into them. They’re still on the computer though. So, at least there’s that.”

“So, why not widely accepted?” Ian attempted to continue the conversation out of more boredom than curiosity at that point.

“It’s a book about untested herbal medicines, of sorts.”

“Sounds nice and safe.” Ian returned.

“Well, if we’re stuck here forever, and we don’t find the ship, we’re eventually gonna very easily run through the medical supplies we brought along. So, those might be our only option, at that point. So, I figured I’d study up.”

“Such optimism.” Ian mumbled, though with a lack of force of his own.

“Well, it is getting a little hard to stay optimistic when it’s now almost Feb---” Jared’s voice then trailed off as he and Ian both stopped dead in their tracks, neither able to quite fathom the vision that greeted them on the other side of that patch of trees.