A Dance of Chaos And Harmony

Act 3: Local Fuss.

"They kept secrets even away from the royals. Their eyes deceive."

Kai walked out of the palace, wandering the town that was shaded from the sun. Town of Nightfall; the humble living of the wolves. Kai would see the town; a lively, active, dark, yet cheerful bustling town. He walked, observing the residents trading, buying, and cleaning. The children played in the dirt paths as the guards patrolled the area; it was a packed town. He wanted to see a friend of his, but the crowded streets felt like walking through a masquerade. The aroma of lavender and the fresh cooked foods of the town would be present in the air and songs would be played by the local musicians gathering for their daily routine of playing a song. It almost felt like a fantasy for newcomers.

CONTEXT: Wolves are a rank in Arch Delteria, the more honored members. They've come from royal blood, or relatives of royals. There's only a hundred thousand of them. They wore a Wolf's mask, to distinguish themselves from the commoners.

As he walked, he couldn't help but notice something. His necklace was blinking in flashes. Mild, but enough to get his attention. He kept walking, placing the necklace into his shirt. Wandering further into the town seeing the many people, he then gets called by someone. It was an old friend.

A: "Pst, Kai! Over here!"

Kai looked over, to see a masked figure, wearing a bunny mask! Orange eyes glaring through it with excitement. Kai approached.

K: "....Alex? What are you doing all the way in Nightfall?"

Kai was confused. He never saw Alex come all the way from her own town to Nightfall. It was a risky move.

A: "What wouldn't I do all the way in Nightfall Town? This place filled with the cheeriest of people, makes even the stone cold hearts of the northern warriors smile!"

Alex was cheerful, thrilled by her own choices at risk. She couldn't but smile behind her mask at Kai's worry. She had a tough yet energetic personality; a fiery passion for danger. Her family were humble farmers, but Alex loved the thought of danger and adventure. She took pride in herself.

K: "You know this place is forbidden for you! You don't know what the guards would do..."

Kai grew more anxious, but his attention would snap to a yell. As the guards rushed past both he and Alex.

A: "Ack-! Huh? What in Riphima's light was that?"

Alex pulled Kai aside into a more hidden place, staring at where the guards rushed. Kai was startled but kept silent, observing as well.

K: "Yikes. . . That is not a good sign, Alex. . ."

Kai had a bad feeling, but he couldn't stop watching. 'What was happening?' he thought, until. . .

A cry was heard, a robber was caught. The crowd would circle the scene as the victim would be escorted away. The crowd would be ordered to move away from the area. A guard would shackle the thief, which Kai and Alex could only watch.

L: "AY! Let me go! GhrrA!!"

The robber was aggressive, groaning and growling at the guards. He wore an eagle's mask. Kai would recognize him as Moon's mutual, Lepus. He pulled at the chains that he was shackled with.

The guard that held him would sit him up as the Next one held his head. . . Odd. . Kai thought to himself, but he kept watching as the other took out a fox's mask. Lance would struggle as he moved and quivered, trying to get out of the guard's grasp. He yelled as they slapped his own mask off his face.

L: "HEY! NO! STOP THAT! YOU CAN'T DO THAT. PLEASE!"

Kai's eyes widened with fear, as Alex also watched in horror as the guard slammed the mask right onto his face and the others pushed it down as well, locking it in place. His yells would be deafening, struggling, and fighting, until one of the guards kicked him in the head. He was then silenced. Blood would trickle down from below the mask as he collapsed onto the ground. The guards tied him onto a horse saddle, as they rode away, dragging him along with them.

K: "W..what was that- what happened?-"

Kai's voice was shaky; he spoke as he was out of air until he was yanked deeper into the alleyway. He yelped, but he was silent once more, muffled by Alex. He panicked, but Alex was there too. They both look up to see it was no other than Moonlight herself; the third friend. Moon was a caring and gentle person. She always cared for Kai and Alex. Moon's family were also royals, but of different origins.

M: "...Think not of what happened, Kai, and Alex. It was a mistake to witness that."

Moonlight would embrace both Kai and Alex, in an attempt to comfort them. Moonlight being the eldest, felt a responsibility of not arriving sooner. She silently guided them stealthily through the alleys, towards a location called "The Southern Delta", a place where the three ranks of this nation lived and met.

A: "..That was not. . . impressive-"

Alex finally commented on what happened, but was still in a state of shock.

M: "It's fine, Alex. What had happened has happened. Let it not ruin our day. Do you want ice cream? Waffles? Or even.. A slice of cake?"

Moon tried to comfort Alex. She tried to move on from what happened. The three were too young, anyways.

K: "I would love a cake.. Can we head to Aurora's bakery? She has ice cream too!"

Kai kept hold of Moonlight's hand, looking into the distance of the mixed crowd. Some talking, others walking by. The town was really large. The high and low ranks hung out with each other. It was a scene to behold. The town's capitol would center on a fountain; a blue beacon that shot up into the sky. A humming beacon of power and pride.

A: ". . . Yeah, a cake sounds nice . . ."

Alex stared at Moonlight, then at Kai after he suggested going for a slice of cake. Her eyes dimmed from what occurred. Moonlight would nod, and lead them off hand in hand towards Aurora's bakery.

As they arrived, Kai ran in and would be greeted by Aurora! Moonlight walked in second, and then Alex. They then sat at the table, Moonlight ordering for the three of them. They would have enjoyed the lasting daytime, forgetting about the incident, but Alex had other ideas. . . Curiosity, anger, and pride filled her mind, and she stood.

A: "I can't just sit here and ignore what just happened, Moon. I need to know!"

Alex stood, running out the door. The door, only lasting a few forces, the door couldn't handle the speed of Alex's sprint, falling.

M: "ALEX! You have to be kidding– Kai, stay here."

Moonlight would run out the door, spreading her wings, as she used it to dash through the crowd, in an attempt to chase Alex.

K: "I'm so sorry, I have to go too. . .!"

Kai ran out, jumping up onto the rooftops. Having himself chase the other two. Leaving the bakery with a broken door.

B: "...Sigh. Teenagers and children."

The baker sighed and shook their head, disappointed.

The three would begin their run, Moon chasing Alex, and Kai following Moon leaving the bakery behind. An adventure to begin, and a tale to be told. The setting sun shone down as they ran out of the town's shadow into the far, far distance.

End of Act 3.