Open Side Adventure If You Teach a Kit a Trick

[Silvertongue Songfox]

(This is a side thread with myself and @FinnianBrightfur but anyone who wants to join is welcome too)

Dinner had just finished up on the Hide, and Silvertongue was putting on his performance for the night. He stood alone in the middle of the mess hall, with most of the crew gathered around. He took his lute and started to play a lively tune, tapping his foot as he began to sing

"Aye! Ye landlubbers, gather near!
Lend an ear to a tale of dread and fear!
The Pirate King, left for dead and gone,
Returns tonight, fierce as the dawn!"

The thing about Silvertongue's performances, is he didn't just sing, he also danced. He started to twirl about, bounding across the deck.

"They chased him far, they chased him wide,
Through stormy seas and raging tides!
They thought him lost, they thought him dead,
But he’s returned, and Hell he’ll spread!"

Silvertongue got dangerously close to the crowd, and he suddenly sat his lute aside, plucking young Finn out from the crowd and lifting him onto his shoulders!

"Yo-ho! Raise yer glass and let it swing!
Bow down now to the Pirate King!
He was battered, bruised, and nearly drowned,
But now he’s back to take his crown!"

As he sang, he started to dance once more, still holding onto Finn's legs and balancing the kit on his shoulders as he did so.

"Where tides run black and tempests grow,
He plants his flag, and all kneel low.
The seas are dark, the end is near,
All hail the King whom all beasts fear!"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn was very much still a new face on the Hide. He had shown up only days before, and it was fairly obvious that he was a stowaway. But despite the new environment, Finn took to the ship like a fish to water.

The captain and officers had assigned him to the infirmary, which largely kept him out from everyone's feet -- at the expense and great frustration of the ship's long-suffering surgeon. But when Finn was about, he was full of questions. Some beasts were more hesitant to work with him, but others took him under their wing. Silvie was the latter.

The best part of the day, if you asked Finn, was dinner at evenings. Food and music went hand in hand, and the kit surprisingly knew many of the songs the ships crew sang -- perhaps suggesting that he had grown up near the docks, or had family in the Navy.

This song was entirely new to him though, and he was so engrossed in the story that he couldn't quite piece together why Silvie was waltzing closer to him. Finn squawked as he was dragged into the limelight, his brush tail floofed out behind him as he clung to Silvie's head.

The stagefright gripped him for a moment, before a voice called out to him in the crowd, waving something at him. "Ohhh! Oh Silvie, over there!" he pointed midsong, trying to steer the Songfox over.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Understanding what Finn wanted, Silvertongue began to dance his way over in the direction the young kit pointed, and he called out to the crew.

"Come on, you sorry lot! Let's see some clapping, or at least tap your foot for goodness sake!"

He wanted Finn to have a good time, mainly because he knew the kit felt so out of place, and he hoped that this would lift his spirits.

He kept his paws firmly on Finn's legs to make sure he wouldnt fall off as he continued the song

"They left him to the sharks, the fools,
But he don’t play by coward’s rules.
His sword is sharp, his heart is cold,
For traitors now, there’s death foretold!"

"He’ll sail the waves from dusk till dawn,
til all his foes are dead and gone!
The seas will bow, the stars align,
and soon it shall be his time to shine!"

Silvertongue held off on the next lyric of the song until Finn was able to grab what was being handed to him.

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Like all young kits his age, there was a perpetual war between being extroverted and taking risks, and being introverted and shy. Mockery and teasing were a devastating threat... But Finn admired how fearless Silvie was, even in front of a crowd that seemingly wasn't enjoying the performance as much as they should. The uncultured swine! As far as he was concerned, it would be more frightening to sing in front of a crowd than to face a firing squad.

Songs brought people together. They lifted beasts out of their sorrows, or at the very least gave them a comfort in the midst of them. The rest of the crew might not have appreciated it yet, but Finn would be Silvie's patron-of-the-arts if need be, regardless of the social consequences. Silvie's courage was contagious, and it inspired Finn to join in the performance.

The foxkit snatched a dark object from the crowd -- a fine looking tricorn hat with a golden brim -- and planted it on his head, crowning himself the pirate king. He raised his fist triumphantly, eliciting a round of laughter and cheer from the crowd.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Amidst the people in the crowd,
Kaii was there, with ears perked up,
For music was this fox's balm,
One that soothed most pains and harms.

Seeing Finn, crowned with the cap,
Made him yearn for what he'd had,
Simple years of kithood gone,
Lost 'neath the scars of war,

The beast with silken voice that sang,
Silvertongue his name was, right?
Evoked a long forgotten days,
of music made to entertain.

He clapped along to the rhythm of the song,
With emotions, growing sore.

And once the crescendo of laughter died,
He wept for this was what he had lost in life.

Kaii took a treasure of his from a bag,
A panflute, ordinary yet one of a kind,
He started playing to the beat,
wishing for the bard to continue his feat.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

The lively rhythm swelled around him, tugging at something deep in his chest. Swifttail found himself clapping his paws in time, stomping his footpaws against the deck with each beat. His tail flicked, not from nerves this time, but from a quiet joy that bubbled up with each note.

It reminded him of the old gathering hall back in Iskatyut, where songs were shared like stories, and even the quietest soul would lend their voice or their step. Those were the moments he felt closest to the others. Closer than friends, like kin.

Now, here aboard this vessel, with laughter echoing through the rigging and music dancing through the air, it felt... familiar. Like home, in a way he hadn’t expected.

He didn’t move to join the dance just yet. But he smiled genuinely and kept clapping, paws and paws, letting the rhythm hold him steady. Perhaps... perhaps he just needed a little coaxing.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue beamed upon seeing Finn adorn himself with his 'crown'. His ears perked up as he heard the sound of a flute joining his tune. Spotting Kai and Swiftail in the crowd, he danced his way over to them. He released his grip on Finns legs just for a moment as he grabbed both of them by either paw or arm, dragging them out into the open with an encouraging smile before belting holding Finns legs once more as he belted out more lyrics of the song.

"Yo-ho! Raise yer glass and let it swing!
Bow down now to the Pirate King!
He was battered, bruised, and nearly drowned,
But now he’s back to take his crown!"

"Where tides run black and tempests grow,
He plants his flag, and all kneel low.
The seas are dark, the end is near,
All hail the King whom all beasts fear!"

Silvertongue kept Finn on his shoulders the whole time as he bounced from one end of the mess hall to the other, occasionally spinning about. He looked up at Finn to see if he was alright. As much as Silvertongue wanted the kit to have fun, he didn't want to overwhelm him, either.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

At first, he had only clapped along. But when Silvertongue, that dandy-dressed red fox in light blue finery, suddenly seized his arm with a grin that could’ve lit a lantern, Swifttail let out a surprised yip as he was pulled into the fray. For a half-second he hesitated, but the familiar rhythm, the sea of friendly faces, and the sheer absurdity of Finn riding atop the fox’s shoulders like a crowned king loosened something deep inside the young todd.

And then he was dancing.

His paws moved with practiced lightness, mimicking the lyrics with theatrical gestures. He raised a paw high like a toast, and then dipped low in an exaggerated bow toward the sung-about Pirate King. He spun on the balls of his footpaws, tail flaring behind him like a silver ribbon, ears perked and grinning like a fox kit again. Each step and stomp echoed not just the rhythm of the song, but the rhythm of home.

He wasn’t just playing along. He was part of it. Heart open. Joy unguarded. For the first time since stepping aboard the Golden Hide, Swifttail felt truly seen... not as a stammering recruit or a nervous apprentice, but as a beast among equals.

He cast a glance toward Silvertongue and Finn, giving a sharp, playful salute mid-dance before spinning again into the glow of lanternlight, laughter bubbling in his throat.

This was more than celebration. This was belonging.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

While still playing, Kaii continued to enjoy himself in his own melancholy. Playing the flute trying his best to add to the song rather than ruin in. After all, that is what his sister would've done.

To his surprise he wasn't allowed to stay in his own bubble of sadness. The bard who orchestrated this song pulled him away from it, making him suddenly shocked from the sudden change of mood. He rapidly calmed, his previous joy and happiness gone, if only for a moment.

After all, it was a moment of joy, one he was part of. It quickly seeped into his fur and he started to play doubly as fast as before. He matched the rhythm and tried his best to add to the chords coming from Silvertongue's lute.

His movements were practised, measured and elegant. He was moving among the other three foxes on the scene, prowling around like a duellist yet moving with a grace becoming of a noble ball. A contradictory spectacle and visibly requiring some polish, but an interesting one nonetheless.

Kaii listened well to the words of the song, making sure to gesture along to them. He was having fun, yet even so... He was trying as hard as he could, not knowing the word "casual".

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn hadn't ridden on someone's shoulders for... It'd been years since someone picked him up to play like this. Partly circumstantial, and partly because he was right on the threshold of being too old and too big for such things. Was it overwhelming? Perhaps a touch. But having the time of your life always was.

The fox kit clung tightly as Silvie let go of him for a brief moment, hooking his ankles under the older fox's arms as he drew Kaii and Swift into the evening's festivities. One arm looped down around Silvie's neck, and his free hand clutched at the oversized hat, trying to make sure it didn't fly off.

As Silvie looked up to check on him, he was all grins, but his grip weakened briefly. "Gates Silvie! 'm getting dizzy!" he laughed.

Rough and tumble little thing that he was, the way his grip tightened gave the impression that Finn almost took holding on as a challenge, as if he were at a rodeo of sorts. He'd hold on until Silvie let him down, or threw him off!

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"Dizzy? I'll show you dizzy!" Silvertongue said with a smirk, and he started to spin about repeatedly, the mess hall becoming a blur, until he slowed to a stumbling stop, crouching down and letting Finn climb off of him. "Here, watch this." He removed his hat, placing it on Finn's head before stepping back. Taking a deep breath, he started to do backflips across the length of the mess hall, and just before he would have collided with the crowd on the other end, he landed on his hand and started to cartwheel his way back to Finn, Swift, and Kai. He moved with the grace of a beast who had been performing for years on end. The deftness and swiftness of his movements turned the fox into a blur of orange, blue, and purple hues. He then switched from cartwheeling to doing a forward somersault, landing with a resounding thud on his feet, holding his paws up in the air. "What do you think of that?!" He asked, out of breath and swaying a bit.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail froze mid-step, paws still lifted as he caught sight of Silvertongue’s whirlwind of motion. His jaw dropped slightly as the red fox launched into a series of flips, cartwheels, and acrobatic spins that would’ve made even the most seasoned performers back home jealous.

As Silvertongue landed with a triumphant thud, paws raised high, Swift clapped loudly and let out a bright cheer.

“That was incredible!”

His eyes sparkled, tail swaying behind him with excitement. The music may have filled the room, but in that moment, all Swift could hear was the rush of admiration in his chest.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii stopped playing for a moment. He only saw such acrobatics before once, at the ball he attended while he was still living at his family estate. He cheered along as Silvertongue landed, clapping with his paws loudly.

"Impressive! I ever saw such acrobatics at the noble halls."

He spoke while thinking of something to add to the show. He didn't want to steal it, but he wanted to have fun nonetheless. As such he retreated for a moment to get his tools and equipment. Returning a moment later and asking the bard while smiling roguishly.

"Say... You want to help me with a magic trick?"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn let out a yelp as Silvie started to spin around in circles, and clung on as tightly as he could. Now Finn had been spun around before, but Silvie was on an entirely different level. The room blended into a total blur, and the kit had to hold on with every ounce of his strength to keep from being flung off. But just as his strength seemed to fail, Silvie let him down -- or perhaps, rather, dumped the dizzy kit on the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Finn tumbled in a heap with a little thud, laughing uncontrollably as he tried (and failed) to get his legs back under him. The kit almost made it to his feet, before stumbling. Fortunately, Swift was near enough to catch him before he hit the deck. The room had just started to slow down as Silvie cartwheeled towards them, leaving the gleeful kit with his jaw agape.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"A magic trick? Well, just as soon as the whole world stops spinning- I'd be more than happy to help you." Silvertongue chuckled a bit wearily, wobbling a bit himself. Despite the many years of performing he had under his belt, he still managed to make himself dizzy. After steadying himself, he turned to Kaii, tilting his head. "What exactly do you have in mind? Maybe it's something Finn here can help us with?"

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

Kaii thought for a second before nodding with a smile, pulling out two small glass circles made for gauge protection.

"I think he can be a star of the show even. Can you get a bit of water perchance? Just enough to spill it with a steady stream."

Kaii asked while using a piece of woollen cloth to rapidly polish the glass plates. After a moment he offered one of them to Finn and spoke calmly, gently wagging his tail.

"Grasp it with your claws, and slowly move this side to the stream of water. Like this!"

He gestured at Silvertongue to start spilling the water. Once the stream came, he moved the other glass pane to the falling water, causing for the stream to bend outwards towards Swifttail with a playful grin.

 

[SwifttailTheFox]

Swifttail caught Finn just in time, the little kit tumbling into his arms in a heap of laughter and flailing limbs. He chuckled aloud, a rich, unguarded sound as he steadied them both.

"Careful, King Pirate," he teased gently, giving the younger fox a playful nudge. "You'll go toppling off the throne before your reign even begins."

Just as he helped Finn back to his paws, his eyes caught the glint of Kaii’s polished glass and the shimmer of the stream as Silvertongue tilted the water forward. The gentle arc curved right toward him.

He flinched instinctively, lifting his paws as if to shield himself, but still in awe of the trick.

His eyes went wide, muzzle parting in amazement.

"By the stars," he murmured. "Are you seeing this?"

A grin spread across his muzzle, his tail flicking behind him as he watched, breath held. He believed. Every bit of him believed something magical was about to happen.

@Kaii Nashirou
@Silvertongue Songfox
@FinnianBrightfur

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn lay in Swifttail's arms, and made no efforts to stand up until he was pushed upright. Wobble! "Y'think they'd make another song about me then?" he replied to Swift, with a playful grin.

The kit adjusted his tricorn hat, scanning the audience to see who the hat belonged to -- but no one came forward just yet. He put a paw back on the hat to make a small adjustment, as it was rather loose.

Now Finn wasn't the biggest fan of magic tricks, because he didn't like surprises. (And certainly not surprises in front of an audience!) But his mood was playful enough that he couldn't turn it down. The foxkit held the glass plate carefully, and peered with great suspicion as the stream bent.

Now Finn had seen enough slight of hand on the streets to know when someone was pulling his tail, but this clearly was magic.

"Euuuhh!!" he cried, drawing away from the stream. As if the glass plate were hot, he quickly offloaded the plate back into Kaii's paws, and wiped his own off on his shirt. "Dark magic!" The chuckles from the crew told him perhaps he was alone in his convictions, but Finn was happy to let someone else hold the plate. Just in case any interdimensional vortexes to the gates of Vulpuz were to open, they could suck someone else in.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue, on the other hand, seemed oddly fascinated. "Is that- how did you?" He set the pitcher of water aside, grabbing Kai by his shoulders. "Are you really a magician? Can you teach me something like that? What other spells do you know??" His tail wagged behind him, his excitement becoming more evident.

"Oh, do you also have a connection to the spirits?! I thought I was the only one!" He pulled Kai into a big hug. Silvertongue didn't seem to care if he was making a scene, and he genuinely believed that Kaii had just performed real magic.

 

[Kaii Nashirou]

When Finn run away from him, Kaii felt a ping of sadness. He didn't want to scare this kit yet he didn't understand why he got so afraid. After all it was but a harmless trick he once saw. Perhaps if he were to explain it later...

He noted however amazement upon Swifttail's muzzle, something that made him temporarily believe he did a good job at least with the trick. Until Silvertongue moved towards him.

"Oomph..." He released air from his lungs as Silvertongue grabbed him and then pulled into a hug.

Kaii wasn't sure what was going on with Silvertongue. Sure, it was a magic trick, but such reaction to it? His smile dropped replaced by stoic calm while he processed this whole thing. His brain started working on the higher gear, figuring out piece by piece the whole scene.

Unfortunately for him, what the other three foxes felt, as well as some other crew members, wasn't by any means logical. That was the one single thing he couldn't account for and process. Thus only after a while, he managed to speak after taking a deep breath in.

"Yes I can teach you that, I am however afraid I am not a magician."

He responded with truths only, snuffing emotions like a candle while cold logic spoke for him.

"I have spiritual connection to my family yes. They live in me as I am the last of those who remembers them."

Kaii spoke, thinking of the only spiritualism he believed in. Weight of expectations from his dead relatives. Even if he knew well, he put them on his own shoulders.