He was dragged out of his mother's room by his friends and as they raced down the hall Petros said, "Otus! You ready to fly? We're gonna climb to the top of the city!"
. Petros and Melorin were always so excited and ready to do the most ridiculous, unsafe things. Otus knew how risky it was... but he also really loved being with his friends, and despite the inhibitions he held he grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I'm all set!"
. The two of these guys were wonderful - he'd known them both his whole life. Petros was a brown wolf with a sharp-toothed grin and the ability to make rocks levitate - he loved to fling them across the few oasises in the desert. No one could out-match his stone skipping skills.
Melorin, on the other hand, was a much quieter fellow. A viscet just like Otus, with red-and-yellow fur and sharp, curved horns. While he used to be a very outgoing kid, lately he'd been getting more... reserved. Otus hoped he was okay, but hey, Petros was Mel's best friend. He'd help Melorin out.
. The kids of the advisors and the child of the guardsman. They were the future of the Moonrise kingdom, and here they were, running away towards danger for the fun of it. Wasn't this exciting?
"Are we meeting up with the others this time?" he asked as the three of them ran up the stairs towards the top of the palace.
. "Jinx and Nightingale are waiting for us," Melorin replied, jogging on ahead, tail swishing lazily behind him.
. "Yeah, Jinx says he wants to watch us to make sure we don't, well, die or anything." added Petros with a voice far too cheery for the subject matter.
. Otus nodded. "Well that sounds fun. He's staying out of it
again? Poor guy's too scared to have a good time. You think some day we can just go exploring in a safer way so he can join us?"
. "Maybe," said Melorin, and they were there - at the door up to the roof. And they weren't the only people there.
. "Jinx! Nightingale!! How have you guys been?" cheered Otus, running up to the two and hugging each one. It was awkward with the sword still tied to his back, but he managed.
. "Good enough. I heard we're climbing the tower?" Nightingale asked with her usual non-chalant attitude. "I'm excited. Bet Otus's gonna be the first one to fall."
. "Hey!" Otus exclaimed. It was so annoying being the youngest in the group... he always was teased the most. "I'm the one with the antlers!"
. "Let's just go, guys," said Petros. Otus looked over and Petros had the door open. He was already making his way outside. Nightingale brushed past the group, scoffed, and leapt out onto the rickety scaffolding.
. Jinx sighed as Night left. "Sorry, Otus. She means well but she doesn't always... show it."
. "Don't worry, man, I know," said Otus, tightening his armor so it would stay on while he climbed. "Now come on! We've got an adventure to go on."
The wind was blowing, a harsh breeze that made it more difficult to balance on the unstable platforms that led to the top of the city itself. Otus knelt down and gripped the wood with all four paws, already feeling the risk. And here they were protected by one wall! How crazy would things get once they were at the top of everything?
. Jinx watched them all go from the doorway. “Good - good luck? Please don’t get hurt, guys,” he said, so quietly that Otus barely heard it. He smiled in his friend’s direction, then continued after the others. He wasn’t gonna get left behind!
. They climbed for what seemed like ages, fighting against the wind and simply putting one paw in front of the other. No one spoke as they ascended, not even Nightingale (Otus was shocked she wasn’t throwing any taunts). But finally, finally! They crawled up all the scaffolding and reached the top of Moonrise’s great dome. What a view it was from up here. Otus shrank himself down low to the ground so he wouldn’t be blown off, and then he let himself enjoy it all. They were so high up! He felt like if he tried, he’d be able to see all the way to Sunglow. “Wow.”
. “Yeah,” said Melorin. It was all that needed to be said. They sat in silence for a while longer before he heard a voice from below.
. “HEY! What are you kids doing up there?” Otus jolted in alarm, looked behind him, and saw one of the guards ascending the scaffolding. A small, armored mongoose, easily skipping up the old wood planks. “Get back down here!”
. Petros frowned at the world in general. “Oh dear.”
. Indeed.
Jinx shrugged in apology as they walked back through the halls and to some unknown destination. It was only when they were brought to the giant wood doors at the center of the entire building that Otus knew they were in trouble.
. This was the entrance to the great hall of the king himself - the proud, imposing Rakesh. “What -“ Otus started to say, but Nightingale hushed him.
. “Be quiet! Don’t make us have to bail you out when you say something stupid,” she whispered, and Otus, already terrified, decided he was not going to speak a word while they were in there.
. The sword on his back felt so much heavier.
. The mongoose guard knocked twice, then slowly creaked the huge door open. Inside was the king himself - but he wasn’t alone. He was sitting on his throne, talking with a very familiar figure... one with black fur and a long green cape.
. “Oh, blast it all,” Otus said under his breath. His father was here.
At the sound of the door opening, both of the conversing leaders looked up. Rakesh took one look at the five children, then up to the guard, and then he took off his dragon-skull mask, set it to one side, and asked, in a surprisingly kind voice, “What’s going on?” Otus was shocked by how much more approachable the red-cloaked king was when he wasn’t wearing the bones of his enemies. Well. That was a bit obvious now that he thought about it.
. “Otus?” his father Ventus murmured. the antlered viscet wished in that very moment that he could just become invisible.
. “Your majesty, captain,” the guard acknowledged each of his superiors with a bow. “I caught these five climbin up to the top of the dome. I thought you might want to give them proper punishment?”
. The room was silent for five seconds. Five seconds where he heard nothing but Jinx’s quickened breathing and felt the king’s piercing stare. Otus was sure that this was it. This would be how he would die. But then -
. - laughter, the kind that starts off slow and builds to an uproarious chuckle. And it was coming from none other than Rakesh himself. “McDougal -“ said the ruler between his laughs (that must be the guard’s name, thought Otus), “we’re a kingdom built on explorers and danger-seekers, and you want me to reprimand kids for following in their ancestor’s footsteps?”
McDougal looked very embarrassed, shuffling his paws and staring at the ground. “Well, you see, sir, I was worried about their safety. The wind’s big this time ‘o year, I was thinkin one of them could fall down.”
. “A very good point!” boomed Rakesh, slapping one paw down on the mask to him side in such a sudden movement that even Ventus flinched slightly. His attention returned back to the children. “Next time you climb up there, bring climbing gear, okay? Very good! Is that all?”
. “Y-yes -“ stammered the mongoose.
. “Well then go! Ventus here and I are talking about some very important business.”
. “Yes, your majesty!” McDougal nodded quickly, and as they were ushered back out, Otus saw his father grin at him.
. His dad was proud, and the world was perfect.