Submission (#1365) Approved

Solar Flare had been in Kyendi for a couple of days now. The first day had been eventful with their main mission being to offer the fae of this region a little something special. During their attempt, they had met the adult elnin Hypnos as she was collecting herbs for her shop back in Silveil City. She showed Solar Flare how to make the faerie ring, and then the two of them went to collect some herbs by the waterfalls. Hypnos had said she'd like to see Solar Flare's performance and explained where she'd be performing, but Solar Flare still doubted an adult would make time to see something as small as a community event such as this.

The red-orange kittom seemed uneasy. Nervous, perhaps? They paced back and forth across the backstage, both stretching their legs and relaxing their thoughts. The sun was bright as the rays shone down onto Solar Flare, highlighting their red coat and making the yellow makings shine brighter than normal. The light hit their face in just the right way that you could really see the diamond marking on their forehead. Their short glade tail swished back and forth with their pacing, a real melody escaping their little white paws as they moved.

The nerves were causing their steps to move more like a dance than a pace now. Blue eyes scanned the area of Ilrian. Mountains were a strong backdrop of the city, holding much of the world on top of the Sunshard Isle. There were peeks of forests behind the city, and you could see another Sunshard Isle floating in the distance, connected to Illrain by a sturdy rope bridge. There was too much mass around from this particular vantage point to be able to tell you weren't on ground level with the rest of Eyre though.

There felt like there was much more to see outside of the city. You could wander into the forest and get lost in the overgrown chaos. You could explore, maybe fine a ruin or two! You could take a walk upstream until you find one of the beautiful waterfalls, getting sprayed by the waterfall's mist as you walk. The mountains would be nothing but small bumps on the horizon of your vision, and you'd never in your wildest years imagine you were floating in the sky amongst this scenery. Of course, that's not where Solar Flare was. That was just beyond the view of the city, out where they would be free to run.

Announcements were being made now. Solar Flare found themselves being herded into a row, the organized set up that had been so meticulously planned. There were ten kittoms here as part of a dance mentorship, and they had all been brought here to be the backup dancers for the singer for the show. It was a sizeable event. organized by some adult elnin to celebrate the season harvest. It was a good chance for Solar Flare to start making their name in the industry but they were still quite nervous. Maybe even more nervous because of it. They wouldn't have been selected if they weren't good enough, right? They had nothing to worry about.

They had practiced together, and the day before the show they'd had a dress rehearsal. All of the kittoms were in the same matching outfit, which was a furtight back leotard that covered up their differentiating markings, unifying their look a little bit more. A hat covered their ears and tufts of hair but their faces remained unhindered and unique. Most kittoms didn't have many identifiable but Solar Flare? Solar Flare had the diamond marking in the middle of their forehead, making them shine bright in the lineup.

The music started, and Solar Flare's thoughts of anxiety washed away. They became one with the music, and the muscle memory of the performance began to take over their thoughts. Everyone on stage with them seemed to disappear as the choreography took over. The singer's words flowed through Solar Flare's thoughts and mind as their voice become a melody that took over control. They could feel the song through their body as if they were singing it themselves, feeding their body into the movement of the lyrics.

From the stage, Solar Flare could see the whole city. The buildings were unusual to Solar Flare because their style was so different than what they were used to. They appeared to be wood, and they featured rather intricate details along the roofline. There were decorative statues of creatures that lined the pathways, and well-kept plants and trees all around. Behind the city, as if built into the very city itself, was a mountain. It was large, backing up the whole city and wrapping itself around it. It definitely kept the whole city on top of the floating island.

To the far side of the stage, you could see the open sky. In Solar Flare's view, she could see another floating island there. The light from the sun seemed to hit the crystals in a way that really gave way to the name "Sunshard" and that made Solar Flare smile even more as they performed on stage for everyone. This island was small with no mountains at all. Instead, there was a tall building, similar to the ones in the city. It was cherry wood with a very delicately designed roof beam. All around the building was a stream, flowing around and never off the island itself.

Solar Flare barely even noticed the time passed and before they knew it, it was time for closing remarks. The audience cheered, and that's when Solar Flare began sliding out of their trance. They went up to bow and took in the audience in appreciation. It was there that Solar Flare noticed a familiar sight. In the front row there stood an adult elnin who had a light coat, a star marking over her eye, purple-tipped ears, and golden stars and moons adorning it. Solar Flare couldn't see their tail in the crowd but they knew it was a small warren tail that matched the design of the ears. They weren't holding a basket today, nor a cape but they did have a blue and white dress on.

Hypnos was here. She'd said she'd come but Solar Flare didn't actually expect any follow through on the subject. Did Hypnos stay an extra day just to watch her performance? After everyone exited the stage, Solar Flare rushed over to where the audience was. She looked to the spot they'd seen Solar Flare in previously, and low and behold, Hypnos was there still. Solar Flare moved over and watched as a smile came across Hypnos' face as she saw the small kittom hurrying over.

"You came!" Solar Flare called as she reached Hypnos' side.

"Of course! I said I would. I wasn't disappointed! You were very good." Hypnos replied.

They were simple words but Solar Flare felt immense joy from them. To perform on stage was one thing but to hear someone appreciate them was something entirely different. Blue eyes looked up at Hypnos, taking in the misty mountains in the distance behind her.

"Thank you!" Solar Flare replied, pulling the hat off of their head to free up their hair tuft and ears. They ran their paw through it and shook their head a little to loosen the strands.

"Perhaps I'll catch one of your performances back in Silveil City?" Hypnos said, a smile lingering on her face all sweet. Solar Flare grinned widely at the thought of having a fan who'd come to see multiple performances.