The deep pounding of bass drums rumbled against the high walls of a palace's theatre, shaking everything but the structure of the Sol Kingdom. A dozen dancers twirled to the rhythm at center stage, all foxes donning bright yellow fur. Waves of visible electricity formed from their hands and swayed with them as they performed, fizzing through the air in all directions, creating as much of a visual spectacle as an audible one. Even those in the orchestra pit below were left slack-jawed at the performers, whose acrobatics were as remarkable as their control over their powers. As the music began to climax, several of the foxes locked hands, and sent streams of sparks circling about the stage. Several streaks cracked out toward the audience, eliciting gasps and cheers alike.
High above the crowd on a balcony fit for one sat a brooding lilac cat, adorned with lavish violet robes and a shining crown between his ears. Despite his apparent superiority, his eyes still sparkled in awe of the performers' grace. He ran a few jewelry-laden fingers through the tuft of grey fur at his chin, leaning forward to further digest the scene. His focus was broken, though, when he felt a familiar set of fingers at the palm of his opposite hand. The king's expression melted into a smile, and he embraced the small cat-girl, whose fur matched his own, before whispering something into her ear. Once she nodded, he sat her on his shoulders, and directed his attention back to the stage.
Soon the music lulled to a halt, and after a few additional movements from the dancers, the crowd erupted with applause to show their gratitude. Not even the king was exempt from the standing ovation that followed. The foxes took their bows as the velvet curtain closed, fully aware of the quality of their performance. Back on the balcony, the king turned around to find a male feline, many years the elder, who scowled up at the young girl before submitting a bow to his superior.
"Apologies, your Majesty," the old man said, ears limp with embarrassment. His fur was a shade darker than that of the king, though lilac streaks were present all about his face. The only distinctive feature he held, other than an irritated disposition, was a scar that stretched from his right ear to the side of his white muzzle. He gritted his teeth. "I instructed her not to intrude."
"Nonsense, Lord Baxton," the king released a deep chuckle from his chest, striding toward the main halls of the castle. "I was merely worried that Blaze would not be able to tolerate the noise. Perhaps she has outgrown it." He lowered the smaller one to her feet, and kneeled so that their matching golden eyes were level. "Did you enjoy it, my little flame?"
"I did!" Blaze smiled, revealing a fresh gap in her teeth as well as growing fangs.
"I am so glad," the king grasped her small hands, "now I will have someone to accompany me to all the shows!"
"King Pyrus, your Majesty!" Another light purple cat approached with a clipboard, breathing heavily. "Was the show to your liking?"
The king nodded, "Send the performers my sincerest compliments. We must have them on again soon."
"Father?" Blaze spoke up, "What were they doing with their fire?"
The king seemed perplexed at first, but then snapped to a realization, smiling at Baxton. "Oh my! I believe Blaze has never seen other Kinetics before!"
"Ki-ne-tics?" Blaze sounded the word out, tilting her head.
"Yes, my dear." The king placed a hand on her shoulder. "There are many different kinds of Kinetics around the world. We can control fire, like everyone in this kingdom, but in other kingdoms, people have different powers. Such as those dancers? They were electrokinetic. They can control electricity."
"Can I do that too?"
"I am afraid not, but you can do all sorts of amazing things with your fire."
"Does that mean we're Kinetics too?"
"Of course! We are pyrokinetic." Pyrus petted his daughter's head. "I cannot believe you are almost eight and you have never seen life outside this palace. My, how time flies; surely I will have to change that soon. Perhaps I will take you into town."
"Perhaps." Blaze smiled again, proud of herself after mimicking her father. Anticipation for the promised event instantly latched onto her soul, as did she to the king's leg.
"Princess Blaze," Baxton raised his brow, glancing at his pocket watch. "it is fast approaching your bedtime."
"But Baxi!" the young girl frowned.
"He is correct," the king asserted, "but shall I tell you the ancient story of the Kinetics first?"
Blaze's expression flickered with excitement. "Yes please!"
"Very well," Pyrus smiled, "come, walk with me."
The princess beamed with suspense as they set off through the palace, on a rather intricate path to her chamber. It wasn't often the king had a chance to wish her goodnight, let alone tell her a bedtime story. Baxton followed the two, who walked hand-in-hand, as a father and daughter would. What either party would give to live a life in which such a gesture wasn't a rarity, one could only imagine. They passed under the calm light of complex chandeliers, all paving the way through the balcony-lined hallway they traversed. Below them, the commotion of visitors leaving the grand hall echoed and bounced between the castle's columns. Pyrus glanced down, for he knew his daughter's next move, and he released her hand as she scampered to the railing. Baxton stepped forward to stop her, but was waved off by the king. They joined Blaze in her watch over the crowd, taking amusement in the cackles and calls that bellowed from the mass.
Pyrus removed his crown, and placed it on the head of Blaze, who was more than content in allowing it to sit lopsided over one of her ears. The king grabbed her hand again, and chuckled as they resumed their walk. "So you wish to know the tale of Kiniti?"
"I've heard that name before. What about them?" Blaze quizzed.
"She was an incredible goddess, the mother of all Kinetics." Pyrus noticed two royal servants approaching, eager to help put Blaze to bed, but the king gestured that he was capable of doing so himself. He looked to the princess again. "She was blessed with so much power that she couldn't fathom using it all on her own. It is said that she could weave entire galaxies with a single strand of her hair."
"Was she pretty?"
"Oh, she was beautiful. We have some books with drawings of her, but I have never known them to depict her well. When I take you into town, I will show you some of the murals dedicated to her. They are amazing." Pyrus flicked his tail as they began climbing a tall stairway of stone. "But, anyway, Kiniti was unsure how she could fully utilize all the power and energy she was given, so she sacrificed some of it to make our kind."
"The Kinetics!" Blaze declared, observing her clumsy feet with great care, holding the crown off her eyes with her free hand.
"Correct. She made the first Kinetics, and scattered them across the world. They all knew they had Kiniti's energy inside them, and they used it to adapt to their surroundings. For instance, our pyrokinetic ancestors lived in the coldest parts of the world, so they used Kiniti's gift to control fire." Pyrus forged a flame in his palm, and held it out to Blaze, whose fascinated face glowed in the bleak stairwell. "Kiniti wanted us to learn how to use her powers through suffering adversity, so she would know that we could survive on our own. That is why she placed Kinetics in such harsh environments, and that is how the four original kinetic bloodlines were formed. There were pyrokinetics, like us, geokinetics, who could move the earth, aerokinetics, who could control air, and hydrokinetics, who controlled water."
Blaze panted as they reached the top of the stairs, and started down another hall. "But we can't control other things?"
"Unfortunately, no. Each kinetic is born with one power they can use for the duration of their life. But, if two different kinetic types have a child, that child could have a blend of their parents' powers. That's why many Kinetics have different powers, like those dancers did. Rather interesting, yes?"
"Yeah!"
"And Kiniti was not done there," the king continued, watching each doorway pass as they neared the desired room, "she wanted to ensure her Kinetics would have all the tools needed to survive, though I am sure she was confident we would anyways. Still, she decided to store the remainder of her energy in seven gems, now known as the Sol Emeralds. Certainly you have seen them before."
"Yeah, they're really pretty."
"Indeed they are." Pyrus paused the conversation as they approached the princess's door. He assisted the young one as she changed into her nightgown, and replaced the crown on his head with a laugh. Baxton had followed them in, and occupied himself by glossing his eyes over some trinkets on Blaze's dresser. Pyrus lifted Blaze onto her bed, and ran a finger between her ears, pulling purrs from her grin. "The emeralds are powerful, as well. When a Kinetic possesses them, their powers become profoundly amplified, and they can use them for much longer than normal. It is said that they would be able to manipulate time and space itself, though I have never heard of anyone actually doing that. Kiniti intended for all Kinetics to share the use of the emeralds should our kind ever encounter danger."
The king noticed his daughter yawn, and promptly loosened her bedspread so that she could wedge herself beneath her white sheets. "My, it is rather late for you. Rest well, and I will show you around town tomorrow." He leaned over, and pressed his lips to Blaze's forehead before smirking again. "At least, that will give me an excuse to leave the palace for a while. Goodnight, Blazey. I love you."
The young one shifted position, further sinking beneath her covers. "Love you too."
Just after the king exited the room, Baxton re-emerged in Blaze's eyesight, giving her a sly wink before flicking out the lights. "Remind me, and I will tell you the rest of the story tomorrow. Goodnight, Princess."
"Promise?" Blaze pursued, poking her head up from the sheets.
Baxton hesitated. He placed his hand on the golden door knob, and stretched his neck back into the room. Though Blaze could only trace his silhouette in the dim light from the hallway, she was certain his expression was as sincere as his words - as pure as his intentions, undoubtedly. Baxton assured, "Surely. I could never break a promise to you, your Highness."
"Okay." Blaze smiled, and turned over to nestle her muzzle back into her pillow.
"Sleep well, young Princess," Baxton returned before closing the door with a gentle click, and hurrying after the king.
hello funky readers, here's something i've been working on for a good two years now. originally, my plan was to write this entire story, and then publish it all later after some vigorous editing. however, now that i'm in grad school and can't devote a ton of time to it, i figured i'd go ahead and post some of what i have. i have no idea how long it'll take to finish this story, but i have a decent bit of the first arc written out. i'll drop those chapters sporadically while (desperately) trying to motivate myself to write the rest of the story.
obviously, this will be a silvaze story, but i really wanted to do a big-picture take on it. silver will come into the picture in time, but for now, enjoy smol blaze. i've spent a lot of time developing baxton and pyrus as my own characters, so i hope you'll appreciate them and what they add to the fic.
oh, also: i have a full playlist of songs for this fic, along with tons of notes for each chapter i have so far that talk about my whole thought process behind everything. if anyone ever cares to see either of those things, just let me know and i'll share! people who have read this from tumblr will have already seen all that stuff.
i sincerely hope you enjoy this, reader, because i've poured my heart and soul into it so far. one day, i really want to write novels, and i hope this story is pretty damn close to what a novel by me would be like.
until next time!