[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width:500px][justify][size=9pt]Imagine a field. This field is wide and open, a vast blue sky overhead with no clouds in sight. A gentle breeze runs through it, making the brown, tall grasses flow. An island of trees stand in the middle of the field. It is not a particularly large island. It looks to be glowing - white? Perhaps a light yellow? It's hard to tell. The sun beating overhead does not help the eyes to focus in on the color. And now... the ground is moving. Not shaking and rumbling in an earthquake, but as though the being possessing the eyes is walking.
They are doing that.
Walking towards the island of trees, the color seems to become clearer, now. It's orange. It become warmer as the being moves towards the island. No longer walking. Running. No, a sprint now. The earth moves quickly beneath outstretched... hands? Paws? Feet? It does not seem to matter after a pain sears the back. It's impossibly hot now.
The orange glow has not ceased to exist.
As anybody would in a dream, Blackjack was halfway frightened. He had "woken up" in this field only minutes ago. He knew right away that the orange glow was a flame; it seemed to have been eating away at the trees for longer than time at this points. Although the trees were still intact, it was obvious that they were extremely dead. They were painted a charcoal black color and limbs hung everywhere, but the trees continued to stand upright.
He would have not gone to them if not for the much familiar voice.
His instant thought was Copperwires - Mom. Female voices were casually disguised within his brain. Blackjack knew he was in a dream, so the fire did not help fuel his energy to go meet with his burning mother. However, as he gradually continued to advance, the voice started to morph. This change was extremely unexpected. Yes, as previously stated, the male was aware he was in a dream. Anything could happen in dreams. He never expected his mind to go this far as to torture him.
Of-fucking-course it had to be Salixcloud's voice. Her voice to his ears was pure honey; it drew him in, seduced him. Her melodic cries for help made him push off the ground at a faster pace than it had for Copperwires. Was that bad of him, wanting to be more with his only love than to be with his mother? He was sure that they were both long-gone anyways, what was it to them if he chose Sal first? He continued to push from the ground with a greater and greater force until he was in full-sprint
He could see her as he approached the burning island. It wasn't hard to make her out within the flames. It was odd - she was immune to the burning. Did that mean he was too? Blackjack took a tentative few steps forward, but the last was fatal. She shot up in flames and started to screech in pain. He could do nothing but watch from the barrier of trees as she melted into nothing. He cried out and attempted to claw his way through the burning wood in order to reach her, but his legs became seared in the process and he had to pull them out before they were completely singed.
He woke up with sweat dripping down the side of his face.
It wasn't from the dream. He'd never sleep-walked in his entire life; why in the world was he now just starting to do it? The warrior had somehow managed to end up encircled in a wall of fire. It was not high, only about a foot off the ground. However, whenever Blackjack got near one point of it, it would flare up and laugh tauntingly at him. It made him feel small and worthless; it made him feel angry and carnivorous. His instincts were to bite at the flame, and as each second went by, he turned more and more animal-like.
"Hun..." that melodic, honey-filled voice again. "wake up."
Again, he woke up with sweat dripping down the side of his face. His horrific nightmare was over. Metaphorical tears were streaming down the sides of his auburn-colored face. He wanted nothing more than to curl against his white ball of fluff and love in that moment.
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