Nox Insomnis [Bristol, Open]

[Zola]

Consciousness animated him with a suddenness that left his heart pounding. Fantastic images of shattered azure ice, and an unspeakable shadow filled his vision. A snarl lifted his lips as the adrenalin bolstered tension seized his frame. But in a single pulse of blood, the obsidian wasteland unapologetically appeared again as reason and logic made his acquaintance once more.

Not the stupid nightmares again.

Their evanescence never failed to astound him. Already, the details blurred slipped from the edges of memory. Oh for the days where dreams had been his and his alone! The callous company of nightmares offered no respite from a vagabond’s solitude. It would be one matter if he was pursued by his own dark fantasies, but those of others were truly unbearable. Particularly this one. It involved ice, and large unknown monsters. Two of his least favourite things. Not for the first time, he wondered what the hell he was doing here, and how he could leave.

A silver slice of moon beamed amide the canopy of stars, their nocturnal luminescence just enough to highlight the contours of the ashen lithosphere. For many doubtlessly, the fire-wreaked wilderness was a foreign and unwelcome place, but here Zola found solace. He had harbored a not-so-secret hope that the atmosphere—utterly unlike the winter-wreathed stage of his recurring nightmare—would provide some relief from the nightly battle. But no. Apparently, things were to be the same as always.

How delightful.

Surrendering all desire for sweet slumber, the leonine brute rose to his paws. Ash, fine as silk, had likened his silver coat to the endless coal plains before him. Only his eyes, refracted into pools of acidic emerald, distinguished him from the indeterminate landscape. He would seek water. Yes, that was an excellent idea. Though the late hour had summoned a deep chill to the desert, he knew the respite from the uncomfortable warmth was but momentary. Tonight, the heat would return vengefully with the sun. He had no intention of becoming a dried husk on the earth, a warning for others until nature reclaimed his mortal remains entirely.

With uncanny grace, the tsar began to lope silently to the west. A veil of silver dust trailed from his person and beneath his paws. Yes, he would find water, and then he would find the exit from this realm of nightmares.

[firework]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/rmk7cy.jpg] The shadow of a large golden hawk flickered across the ashy ground below and Bristol was glad he had chosen to fly instead of walk. He could only imagine how dull the journey would be to be across the wastelands that he had to travel across to get to his next destination, though he still wasn't sure where his next destination was going to be. In his hawk form, his huge wings spread and flapped as he glided across the cooling air, enjoying the fading sun and the drop in temperature that the evening would bring. Light blue eyes scanned ahead to see if there was any sign of life below. At first there was nothing to see except more expanses of ashen covered ground but suddenly, Bristol's light blue eyes caught sight of a light colored wolf walking across the soil. Curiousity got the better of the golden orange hawk so he swooped down a little ways from the male before shifting back into his wolf form easily. Shaking out his coat, a friendly smile crossed his face as he trotted across the ash covered ground towards the male, his golden/orange tail raised and his muscles mostly relaxed to show he wasn't there to start a fight. "Well hey there." he greeted the other male, a smile on his face as he caught up to him and stopped a few feet away.

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[Zola]

The steady rhythm of Zola’s paws striking the yielding ash was familiar as the beat of his heart. Not to mention nearly as monotonous. Has he ever had the misfortune to witness a more uninspiring landscape? The very sameness even dulled his joy for running. Only the knifed-edged silhouette of a soaring raptor convinced Zola that he had discovered untread territory. A less seasoned traveler may have despaired of running circles in this obsidian desert.

The lupine figure cresting yet-another softly rolling hill was enough to arrest his gait almost entirely. A plume of languid dust wafted on the non-existed breeze towards the other, its’ indolent movement at odds with his surprise. Where had he come from? Surely he had not been so disengaged with his surroundings… His fair gaze glanced heavenward. The pinioned predator had vanished from the skies. Could it be? Shattered ice, a glittering spectrum of brilliance, before the insidious darkness swallowed all. It seemed anything went in these lands. He would almost feel at home, if he wasn’t partially convinced his death was just out of sight.

A fleeting search of the other tsar convinced the Zola that alarm was unnecessary. The loner—for only a fellow vagrant would seem nonplussed to another in his territory—conducted himself with an amiability Zola had witnessed from few others in his quest. He could not help but respond in turn.

“Lovely place you’ve got here,” the brute’s droll response was punctuated by an impish smirk. “Did you add the ash, or did it just come that way?

[firework]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/rmk7cy.jpg] A soft chuckle escaped Bristol's mouth as he trotted towards the other male and a smile remained on his face as his golden tipped ears pricked forwards to catch every word the newcomer had to speak. The other male was rather friendly and it was a relief to know that another loner had dared to venture in such a wasteland as this ashen place. "Nah, I am not lucky enough to own such a fine place as this. The only ground I own, for the moment, is the ground under my feet." he replied as he came within a couple feet of the other male. A smile was still on his face and his posture remained calm and friendly as he realized this new brute was not a threat either. "I'm Bristol." he added, not asking for his company's name for he didn't want to demand any information from another. Bristol didn't usually enjoy poking his nose into other's business and preferred to let others tell him what they wanted to. Instead of asking question upon question about another.

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[Zola]

A sanguine sentiment stole over the tsar towards Bristol, suddenly as a thunderstorm in a summer night. It railed against all caution, but for the moment he chose to disband reason for revel. There was only so long one could spend fearing for one’s skin without causing cracking, and he had the sneaking suspicion he was nearly at wit’s end. Besides, this brute had more humor in him than any of the other creatures Zola had come across combined. Of course, other creatures did not always appreciate his penchant for schadenfreude, but that was more their fault than his. An Alpha who ran a brute off his lands for a few simple comments at his Alphess’ expense was no Alpha he wished to serve anyway.

Ears tipped forth, the silver-gilded brute absorbed the other’s—Bristol’s—words. “I’m Zola.” The reply was given without question—his name meant nothing in this land after all. His crown tilted to the side, pensively, and he added as an afterthought, “Though I have often been called worse.” A roughish grin split his slender muzzle, delicate as a she-wolf’s. “Is all the land around here so stark? I’m beginning to wonder if I’m actually being punished for my sins.”

[firework]

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[atrb=background,http://i55.tinypic.com/rmk7cy.jpg] Bristol nodded his head in acknowledgement of Zola giving his name. Some wolves weren't to eager to speak their name right off the bat as it was something precious to them, though Bristol liked for others to know who he was and he felt that giving them his name was the first step to a good friendship. A smile crossed the golden male's face as he laughed a bit at Zola's comment of being punished for his sins because they were in the most barren area around. "Nah, you just unfortunately came across the bleakest part of these lands. I was on my way out of these sandy deserts if you would like me to show you the way out. It can be very easy to get turned around out here." he replied, a friendly smile on his face as he waited for the other male's answer. It was very true that it was easy to get turned around out here. After a sand storm especially because that was when all traces of life including pawprints were wiped away from the sands leaving it clean to start again which isn't good when the only thing you have to tell you where you have been and where you haven't been is your paw prints.

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