Music of the Beasts

SYNOPSIS: A tale of an aspiring band of creatures discovering the power of song. Starring...Obiqua and Hereford the unicorns, along with a shifting cast of creatures acquired through adoption, capture, or trade.

The story begins late one night at a beastkeeper's stable. A dragon had hatched a day ago, and its playful romping was keeping the other beasts from getting a good night's rest.

"All right, Europa! You wanted the best! You got the best! The hottest band in the world...Who were they called again?"

 "Epidote, please go to sleep," said the unicorn Obliqua to the very excited green dragon hatchling. "I'd like to be up bright and early to meet the new company."

"So would I," spoke a larger green dragon.

"Emerald, did you really have to tell the story of the magical, otherworldly Avatars of love, space, elemental fire, the woods, and the beasts to your dragonling?" asked Obliqua.

"Why not?" replied a large blue dragon. "Epidote's favorite hero is none other than a mighty red dragon. It certainly seemed fitting for our child's very first bedtime story."

"I can only imagine why, Lapis Lazuli," sighed Obliqua. "Wake me whenever you have any yarns to share about noble unicorns combating a menacing red bull, or learning how to master the art of friendship."

"There's stories like that and more out there I'm sure, Obliqua. Or my name isn't Fox Kestrel," spoke an orange gryphon.

"Mother! Father! Please tell me the story of the black stallion and the white mare of the mountain once again," said Epidote.

Obliqua couldn't believe what she just heard. "A black stallion and a white mare? Really?"

"Truly there is, and the both of them play a role to helping a boy of great potential discover what lies beyond the ancient door he keeps seeing in his dreams," replied the blue dragon Lapis Lazuli.

"Perhaps we'll relay the tale of mystery and triumph once we encounter the new arrivals," said Emerald before extending a wing over Epidote.

"Once upon not yet, long ago someday..." Lapis Lazuli sang softly.

"Good night dragon neighbors, and good night Fox Kestrel. I'm going back to my stall to sleep," said Obliqua, turning herself around and trotting toward a wooden stable door with her name on it. "See you lot in the morning!"

oooh!! this is sooo interesting!

Indeed! I like the story so far! Very good stuff, keep up the good work!

why are dragons named like gemstones?

do you acquire animals to weave a story from them or do you finish their story by their actual acquisition?

Music of the Beasts: Chapter 1 - "Room Service"

Three months later, Taruca's collection of aspiring beasts had grown, changed, and traded around. Some pets were sent to the pound. Others were made to work expanding the stables and the town hall. Some were taken on quests and others were tasked with crafting items, including material-producing golems.

With the exception of an upgraded Astronomy building and a tack workshop, Taruca had just about everything she could ask for.

In the stables, where up to two-hundred beasts could be kept, was a newly acquired pack of wolves called Lykos. Tundra-dwelling wild hounds that were originally discovered in a state of hibernation. None of the Lykos in the stables of Taruca were foundation members, but they were bought or bred for the purpose of creating new beasts of the highest quality, in a variety of colors, and possessing some of the best traits possible.

For the time being, Hooligan and the she-wolves in his company it was great to be part of a pack.

A young pup passed him by and asked, "I want to be told the rock and roll mystery! How did begin, though, brave Hooligan?"

"It begins with a haunting at an amusement park, youngling," began Hooligan. "The builders and testers of some ride called 'The Destroyer' were frightened away by some ghostly lady, who kept asking for some kind of rock."

"What rock? Is it a topaz? Or was it a sapphire? A ruby? An emerald?" asked the pup.

"Some black rock, like an Obsidian," said Hooligan, looking across to the unicorns on the other side. "Victoria! Help me out here. This pup wants to learn the rock and roll mystery."

Victoria the unicorn looked up from her feeding trough and said, "Let me guess...the one where Scooby and his owners help some clown-faced bards with a haunting incident at some Samhein Festival."

"Yes. That story! What happened next in that tale?" asked Hooligan.

"The mystery-solving band were on the way to the amusement park called Kiss World. Everyone in that group loved the Kiss World and were looking forward to the show, except for Fred Jones, the driver who insisted his favorite band of bards was called the Ascot Five," explained Victoria.

"What happened when they arrived for the event?" asked the pup.

"A guard barred them from entry, who went by the name of Delilah Domino," replied Hooligan.

"Like Momma?" asked another pup who showed up.

"No...this Domino was a lady guard. Someone that wanted to send the young investigating team home, despite their pleas to enter the Kiss World and look around," continued Victoria. "Eventually, the mystery solver visitors took off their festive vestments and snuck into Kiss World. A few moment later, the guard caught them and she was about to banish the visitors as a consequence for their actions. However..."

Hooligan said, "They showed up. That band of foursome with clown makeup, playing an iconic partying song, and in turn, saving the mystery solvers from explusion. Their names were...Spaceman, Catman, Demon, and Starchild."

The Lykos pack in the stable were soon surrounded by a band of young Symurgh, a couple of Pumas, a flock of Rocs perched high above, and a few heads from newly hatched Gryphons.

"And then what happened?" spoke the young Gryphons in unison.

"The mystery solvers explained the situation, regarding a call to arms investigating a haunting. Although, the musician band of four were a bit confused because they too were called on to find out who or what was haunting the Kiss World," said Victoria.

The two curious Lykos pups watched and listened for as long as they could to the tale of the rock and roll mystery, but like most young beasts the Lykos pups fell asleep as their older beast mates took turns explaining how two teams of unlikely heroes worked together to save not one, but two realms from certain destruction.