Nightriders Battle of the Bands Part 1

    Chapter 1

    After a long day of travel, Axl Reigns, the lizard heavy metal star, was lying on top of the Nightriders’ band van. With his hands under his head, he heaved a heavy sigh as the heat of the sun warmed his cold-blooded body. He was in a dreamy, relaxed state. His tongue quickly shot in and out of his mouth. He closed his eyes and a smile curled at his lips as he enjoyed the brief change of pace from the busy life of a full-time touring musician. Many pleasures awaited him in the metropolis of Beach City.

    Ah, the sandy beach. The ocean. The clubs. The guitar and record stores. These thoughts, complemented by the warmth of the sun, brought Axl deeper into his peaceful state.

    "Hey, Axl!” a gruff voice shouted, pulling Axl from his reverie. “Get your scaly butt down from there and help us load up the van. The last thing I need is for you to be a lazy lizard!”

            Axl leaned forward and saw his grayed-haired wolf bandmate, Rolf, standing on the side of the van with his arms at his sides, appearing quite annoyed. "All right, comin'," Axl said as he yawned and stretched out his arms. He then fluidly slid off the side of the van. “What do you need, buddy?”

    Rolf motioned toward the tables, chairs, and cooler that had been set outside the van for their rest stop. “Help us load the van. We still have a long drive ahead of us.”

            "Sure,” replied Axl with another yawn as he readjusted his spiked collar.

    "Rolf! There’s no need to be such a boss,” Lonnie, the shaggy-haired lion, said as he stepped out of the van. He was the drummer, and he always wore a white tank top with shades. He took a sip of his root beer. “This ain’t a dictatorship, you know. It’s one for all and all for one, remember?" 

            "Yeah, whatever,” Rolf muttered, “but we’ve got a schedule to keep, and you two bums are acting like sloths." 

            "Oh, come on, Rolf,” Lonnie snickered. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

            "Yeah, yeah,” Rolf grumbled. “You guys would be helpless without me.” Rolf started to fold the lawn chairs. Axl lifted the cooler and carried it to the van.

    "Hey, don't let him chase you away like our last front man,” Lonnie said as he put his hand on Axl's shoulder.

    Axl chuckled as they entered the van. “Chase away? Ha! I’ve been in worse situations. Believe me when I say that I’ve put up with bandmates who’ve literally wanted to kill me! Don’t worry, buddy, I’m here to stay.” Despite his confident reply, Axl knew in part this was a product of his wishful thinking. Being tossed from one dead-end band to the next had been his experience in the music industry, and it was not until a swift stroke of luck had presented him the opportunity to please Rolf through an audition that he had been catapulted into the limelight. Knowing about Rolf’s infamous temper, he was aware from the beginning that remaining on good terms with Rolf would be the biggest challenge to him if he were to retain his new role as the lead vocalist of the Nightriders.

    At Axl’s answer, Lonnie patted him on the shoulder with a smile. “Well, that’s a relief, because I’m not sure I could handle Rolf on my own.”

    Axl returned the smile. Lonnie’s company was a refreshing contrast to Rolf’s critical personality. While Axl set the cooler in the back of the van, Rolf and Lonnie loaded the chairs. The interior of the van had slightly worn brown seats and gray carpeting. As usual, empty soda cans, cupcake wrappers, and equipment were cluttered about.

    As Lonnie got behind the wheel and pulled out of the rest stop, “Rock City” by Smooch played on the stereo. This is gonna be a long ride, Axl thought. He sank into the seat and closed his eyes.



Illustrations by Bluepisces97 

  Thanks for reading!
 


Nightriders: Battle of the Bands Part 2