Thunder Dome abandoned—a legion of dust

the grey hellhound ventures south still, rooting and traversing his way to teekon's heart. it's his favorite part of any kill, it's where the strength lies and he applies this thought process to these lands. the behemoth is in no real hurry though. no, he takes his time, exploring the wilds at his own pace. winter is a demanding mistress, no doubt, pushing him through his paces without mercy but he is well adapted at taking care of himself and surviving. against the odds he and saul had survived circumstances that had seemed impossible growing up. harsh conditions made for harsher men and karn is cut from the cloth of nightmares. where parents would have instilled morals to guide him in life karn was left to develop without that compass ...and if he does have one it is certainly too broken to be used.

there is a shiver of heat, the shiver of electricity along the tendrils at his nape and the sharp zap of lightning as it races up to the sky. it blinds karn for a moment as he makes his way towards the space betwixt emberflame ridge and thunder dome, frowning at the smoldering tree that had taken the bolt for him. he'd seen a few like it throughout the forest of the ridge and seeks shelter in a yawning cave mouth, side-stepping the stalagmites that guard it's entrance like the fearsome teeth of some ancient and brutal beast.

salmon pink tongue draws across his jowls as he sniffs discreetly at the air, deducing that this particular section of the cave — for he cannot rightly discern how deep it is — is clear of others. in the interest of avoiding the risk of getting lost in the depth of the cave and what could be tunnels for days karn shrugs between two tall, thick stalagmites and stretches in the darkness of the yawning cave mouth once he is free of the spiraling rock towers. the grey behemoth bows his head to sniff at the cave floor, nosing aside a few rocks to send rats hiding out squealing and scurrying deeper into the endless black of the cave. he watches their silhouettes disappear with a mixture of disdain and amusement upon his wicked lips that quickly vanishes as his head rises and the hackles along his nape bristle at the sound of light footfalls nearby as the hellhound abruptly goes into high alert.