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.

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"Tell me the Rock and Roll Mystery story!" spoke a young dragon hatchling.

Taruca's beast stable had never been better, thanks the recent conclusion of the Tundra biome season. The beasts celebrated with the acquisition of a Pristine Snowflake. Although they weren't about to find the right materials to activate it in time, the creatures were already looking forward for the next winter.

Nightshade the griffin (or gryphon) heard the dragon's cries and said, "One bedtime story coming up. Sit tight! Helidor, please fetch the picture book from Taruca's tiny library and I'll gather the rest of the grown beasts for the performance."

The first creature Nightshade found was the red dragon Firehouse, followed by a blue Roc and Puma with black leopard spots.

"Everyone, to the proscenium!" announced Nightshade as a few Thordama insects set the stage for the opening scene.

Two lupine-beasts known as Lykos, one yellow and the other dark brown, had volunteered to be the unnamed "amusement park workers" making adjustments to a ride that's been experiencing problems. A ghostly presence represented by a Warrior Thordama gurgled repeatedly, "Give...me...rock!" and chased the park workers off the ride.

After a talk with a manager, represented by a Simurgh (or Symurgh) with a white coat and grey wings, pressed a paw down on button on top of a wooden box and said, "Get me the hottest mystery-solvers in the world!"

The young dragon hatchlings, the roc chicks, and a number of young wide-eyed griffins stepped closer to the makeshift theater in the stable to watch the mystery-solver band. In the middle of the young beasts was none other than Hereford and Obliqua the unicorns.

"I don't know why you convinced me to see this show, but here we are now," said Hereford.

"Relax. You deserved a break after the last couple of vials of Mutagen you were given by our beastmaster Taruca," said Obliqua.

"Well, if you say so Obli..." said Hereford as he watched the mystery-solver beasts approach the entrance to the "Kiss World" in their wagon, only to be stopped by a Simurgh representing the security guard Delilah.

As the story progressed, the mystery-solver beasts attempted a break-in into the amusement park world. Unfortunately, the five-member investigating beast crew were captured by Delilah and were promptly escorted off the premises. They were banished from the Kiss World without so much as a funnel cake treat from the concessions, but just as the Simurgh playing Delilah voiced her concerns about when the park goers were going to come back despite the witch hauntings despite a scene of panic in the background, a gentle voice spoke in the dark.

"Oh, they'll come back...to see us!" and out from the shadows stepped "Starchild Nightshade" and "Demon Firehouse" with a black leopard Puma and a blue Roc in tow, instruments in claw or paw and playing a power ballad in a flurry of Catherine Wheel sparks and smoke.

Firehouse stepped towards a microphone "prop" and sang out, "You show us everything you got. You keep on dancing and the room gets hot. You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy! And you say you wanna go for a spin, the party's just begun to let you in. You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy!"

"You keep on shouting, you keep on shouting!" sang the others behind the red dragon.

"Uh-oh..." Hereford said, wide-eyed.

"I...want to rock and roll all night, and party every day! I...want to rock and roll all night, and party every day!" sang Nightshade and Firehouse.

"I like those beasts. They're natural at being the hero team KISSTERIA," said Obliqua.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" tweeted a young Roc from behind Obliqua.