✂ ┈ ┈ ┈ P ʜ ᴇ ʀ ɪ x ┈ ┈ ┈

[G1 Sunstreaker]

Directory
The Actual Form (only include this for the judging please)
The Blacklights - 2135 words



Future Use
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

[G1 Sunstreaker]

The first thing Pherix learned was to always take chances.

Taking chances didn’t always pay off. In fact, it usually didn’t. Usually it ended with your face in the ground and a rough grip on the scruff of your neck as a voice hissed threats in your ear. If you were a real risk taker then eventually you disappeared, leaving behind rumors of your name being put on the grey list. Risks were more often than not exactly that; a rewardless risk.

What redeemed the seemingly false hope was knowing that a risk meant an opportunity. Taking a chance told you how far you could push, told you their weak spots, told you where to push next. Taking a chance meant you had a chance, and that was the only sure thing to grasp onto.

So when the brightly-colored kalon whisked past him with a whisper, he didn’t hesitate to follow.

The streets were dark. They were always dark. The grimy cobblestone road was lit only by the faint glow of the cold artificial lights that rimmed the edges of government-run buildings; if the sky was visible through the heavy bank of clouds that hung low above the city, it was just as black. Tonight there was no moon.

The air was clean, at least, at night. The stink of conflicting streetside vendors and sweaty kalons was washed away by the early curfew and the light breeze that followed an hour after lights out. The breeze was so regular, he was almost convinced the city had giant fans powering the pleasant wind somewhere near the border. It was just about the only pleasant thing about Orion.

His thoughts were unfocused, random. He wasn’t technically allowed on the streets at this time of night, but the orphanage’s director had sent him out again. Stop being a baby-faced weakling and stand up for yourself, he’d said again. Until you learn how to have a spine you’re going to be sent out to sleep in the streets. Yeah. As if it was his fault that he was smaller than the kit that took his dinner.

He licked his lips at the reminder of his empty stomach. It growled, and he was jolted back to the present. His vision focused, and he realized he was treading down a narrow alleyway. Before and behind him he could see the dark streets; he settled down with a sigh. It was better than out in the open.

This time he didn’t plan on getting caught by the guards that patrolled the inner city. Pherix could recall four times that he’d been found and dragged back to the kits’ home, the guard hauling him by his scruff and lecturing him about behaving. He was amazed that he’d never been actually punished; the director must’ve had some level of say with the patrol for him to be able to get off scot-free.

He couldn’t count on the protection forever, however; being as it was that he was to be a legal adult in less than a year, he had the feeling that the director would start letting him face the consequences. He didn’t want to press his luck.

Suddenly the fur on his neck stiffened and rose. Inhaling silently, Pherix rose to his paws. Someone was approaching.

The wind behind him shifted.

He started as a flash of yellow skimmed by his right ear. Tail lashing, he spun and bared his fangs. If he could put on a tough front, maybe they’d let him alone this time.

The kalon crouched down across the alleyway was small, even smaller than he was. They were a pale yellow, with a cream colored muzzle; a long, messy ponytail of the same color trailed down from their neck. Their face was a mix of teal and blue; the smooth stripes extended down their neck to their shoulders and across their back. Their tail was long and thin, and the curtain of fur along their tail waved in the breeze.

Pherix caught the kalon’s gaze, and realized their eyes were an intense, vibrant orange.

The kalon opened their mouth, and a distinctly feminine voice echoed into the empty night air.

“Now’s your chance. Follow or stay. The city can’t wait forever.”

Absurdly, the first thought that sprang to mind was wow, dramatic much?

An instant later the sleek kalon had whirled around. In a heartbeat they were almost at the end of the alley.

Pherix’s heart leapt into his throat. Only the slightest hesitation held him back; his only friend at the orphanage was a younger kit named Altan. He had no future there.

His stomach shot to the bottom of his gut. Adrenaline snaked into his veins. Pherix bolstered his courage.

With an exhilarated inhale, he took a chance.





The kalon traveled fast.

Pherix didn’t have time to ask questions until they arrived. The yellow kit hopped up onto a fire escape lining one of the dingy buildings, and without asking if he was able to follow, promptly scaled the wall. He watched in awe as she nimbly caught pawholds against the sheer brick and disappeared into what looked like a ragged hole blown into the wall.

Oh boy.

Pherix’s first attempt at scaling the wall ended with his side smacking against the stone ground. So did his second and third. Eventually, he stood back, panting, to study the wall.

He was taller than the yellow kit, that much he knew. If he could find himself something to springboard off of, he might be able to jump it. Maybe. Probably.

Pherix turned to scan the alleyway, eyes darting around speedily. His gaze caught on a black, angular shape in the darkness, and he realized it was a box, tucked against the corner of the building.

He was quick to situate it against the wall. He had no idea how far ahead the yellow kit was, or if this was some kind of test and she was waiting behind the wall. Hopefully she was.

Taking a deep breath, Pherix backed himself against the adjacent wall and stared at the wall. He had to do this right.

With a scuffling sound, he shot off of the back wall and bounded onto the makeshift step. Coiling his muscles, he drove himself upwards and towards the hole in the wall, eyes fixed on its bottom ledge. He stretched upwards as far as his paws could reach. Gravity caught up to him, and his body jolted as he slammed against the brick wall. His vision went spotty, and after a moment he blinked away stars and found himself hanging precariously from the ledge with his claws fully extended.

His grip was slipping. Quickly, his hind legs scrabbled at the stone, struggling to find a foothold in the precious few seconds he had until he fell to the ground below. A hind paw scraped a tiny outcropping, and he felt around for it hastily. In a moment he caught the little piece with his toes; a split second later his left front paw slipped off of the ledge. With a mighty heave he thrusted himself upwards, flinging his paws forward against the stone. His chin bumped the ground, and he gritted his teeth against the uncomfortable sensation, shaking with physical exertion.

His front right paw caught against one of the bricks lining the crumbling opening. A sharp pain stabbed it, and he yelped, immediately slipping backwards.

Two yellow paws shot forth from the darkness and grabbed hold of his forelegs. Gasping, Pherix pulled hard, simultaneously pushing forth from where his hind legs still clutched the wall; his tail swung haphazardly in an effort to maintain balance.

In a moment he was safely over the ledge. The floor sloped slightly inwards from the edges of the tunnel, and with a heavy breath he rolled towards the center of the floor, stopping on his back and beginning to pant. He’d been still for only a moment before a shadow passed over his face.

“Not bad,” the kit mused. “Your jump was a little messy, and you shouldn’t have let go of that brick, but not bad.”

Pherix couldn’t help but feel a stab of annoyance. The second thing this kit had yet even said to him, and she was judging his execution of something he’d never done before.

“Yeah, because I totally do this every day,” he grumbled, shifting to roll onto his side.

The kit gained an odd, crooked smile. “When we get there, you will be.”





As it turned out, ‘when we get there’ meant every other minute. The yellow kalon was incredibly agile, and when they rounded a corner and entered a dilapidated warehouse nearly half an hour later, Pherix was so out of breath he almost didn’t notice the gathering of kalons in front of them.

As he looked up, he caught sight first of a floral-patterned orange kalon speaking to a purple-and-white kalon with a black pointed tail. The orange kalon was facing him, and when they noticed his entrance and turned towards him, Pherix could see a yellow flower decorating their hair.

The majority of the kalons inside the warehouse, however, were kits. He spied several of them clustered by another adult, apparently listening raptly as the kalon demonstrated some kind of physical move. There were kalons of every color and age; he was surprised to see a kit that looked no older than four nodding along with the rest of the group.

What was oddest of all was the equipment scattered around the room. The warehouse had clearly been out of use for years; there were still some crates dotting the cracked and stained walls, but they were all faded and looked as old as the building itself. Instead, the wide area was scattered with training equipment and obstacle courses. Dumbbells and sandbags were stacked neatly in a corner. There were kits doing pull-ups on pull-up bars. There were kettlebells and medicine balls lined up along the walls. There was even a gymnast’s balance beam in the far center of the building, and as Pherix took a step forward, he realized the floor was covered with a series of anti-slip mats.

Slowly, his presence became noticed. Kits lowered the dumbbells and slipped off of equipment. Adults slowly stopped speaking, and their audiences turned around to blink at him. A deafening sense of being in the spotlight froze him in place.

“Takouhi!”

The sharp call jolted him. Whipping his head to the left, he realized that the orange kalon with the flower in their hair was approaching. Judging by the flower and her voice, the kalon was female. As she continued to approach, Pherix realized the kalon was incredibly muscled.

The yellow kit took a step forward. Pherix was suddenly reminded of her presence, and he realized suddenly that her name must’ve been Takouhi.

The orange kalon’s expression was hard. “Where have you been?”

The kit--Takouhi--looked suddenly very uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Trainer Velma. I am aware I should have said something before I left. I’ve been watching this one for some time--”

“What?” interrupted Pherix.

“--and I believe he’s trustworthy,” she continued.

“Wait just a minute now,” Pherix demanded, taking a step forward. “Watching me? And how long is ‘some time’? Why--”

“Are you certain?” The orange kalon spoke as if she hadn’t even heard him. Frustration bubbled in his gut, but he figured he wasn’t going to be listened to no matter how much he spoke. So, he fell silent, albeit unhappily.

Takouhi seemed to consider these words. After a moment she turned and met his gaze with an intensity he hadn’t expected, studying him intently.

Finally, she said, “Yes.”

The orange kalon turned to regard him as well. He had only a moment to meet her gaze before she began speaking rapidly.

“You are standing in the center of the group known as the Blacklights. We are here because we are tired of succumbing to the forces of corruption and power. If you choose to join us, you will be pushed to your physical and mental peak. You will be tested and challenged without relent. You will also be sheltered and cared for, fed, watered, protected. If you choose to leave, you will continue to be monitored, but left in a peace. If a word of us is breathed, your fate will not be known to those around you. Choose now.”

The information was overwhelming. Pherix let out a quiet breath, his mind racing. The orphanage had nothing for him, that much was true; however, was it worth abandoning a relatively simple life for this? For training, for work, for living a secret life?

Pherix steeled himself. His shoulders raised and his ears focused. Lifting his chin, he met the orange kalon’s stern gaze.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

[G1 Sunstreaker]

[wip]

[G1 Sunstreaker]

[wip]

[G1 Sunstreaker]

[wip]

[G1 Sunstreaker]

[wip]

[G1 Sunstreaker]

[wip]