As far as Akira knew, there were three steps to success.

Step one. Get Moving. And he had done just that. He had upped and kissed bye-bye to his old town and loyal fans. He’d miss all of them but there was nothing like being on your own and chasing your dreams. At first, he’d though he’d double his number of supporters overnight once away from home…but it hadn’t gone quite like that. He’d passed through two towns in his last two weeks of being on his own. He’d been ejected from the first one for being too wild. In the second town he’d spent two nights as a standup comedian (with a little beatboxing and song) and, while they seemed to enjoy his cheery show, he had to move on. Now he was wandering into deeper and deeper darkness of a mystical forest. He didn’t recognize a thing. Something about this place didn’t seem natural.

Step two. Gain support. He needed supporters, fans, friends. If nobody knew who he was then it would be a long time before he was a household name. With the right luck, pretty soon he’d be a sweeping sensation. Akira didn’t know what the Recondite Realm was, so he had no idea it was that group’s territory he’d just crossed into.

Step three. Expect the unexpected. Akira stopped in his tracks. ”Woah! That mushroom’s glowing!” the boy wasn’t quiet in his fascinated observation and he looked around the dark redwood forest to realize more mushrooms set along the tree trunks,”No way, all the mushroom are glowing!” Then he caught scent of others, a strange smell but definitely, most certainly evidence that people might have lived in these woods. He’d be sure to show them how great he was. They’d like him for sure.

With no one else around and only his excitement to get to him, the youthful, scarf-wearing feline began rapping to the mushrooms he already liked so much and walking along the Stygian Forest of the Recondite Realm with a pep in his step.

”well glowing mushrooms, its time
The real superstar is gonna raise the bar!
The darkness drops but can’t drown our shine
Straight out the glowing forest of—huh?

Guess I don’t know what this place is called
Hope these people got some show
My hello doesn’t like any dirty flow
Heyy! Hey, is anyone out there?
My name’s Akira and I’m the most popular star in the land!”

The Egyptian mau blinked after spitting his verse. The silence of the glowing forest took over again. No one had heard him, huh? He should have truly saved his singing for when he came across the people who lived here instead of wasting it. Bummer. He’d have to think up a song ten times, no twenty times, greater for the next person he saw.

Then there was the sudden presence of something beside him. One moment nothing stirred at all, then the next something or someone was there right next to him. ”Ahhh!” Akira cried out in surprise at the glowing and antlered and hooded beast-dog-thing and he reeled back as he raised himself on his hind paws as fore-paws moved simultaneously into position like a boxer putting up his fists. No one ever had tried to attack him back in his hometown but out in the wilderness there were no rules.  Still, he’d never had to strike anyone in his life…but he could. Probably.

The antlered dire wolf was rather young but larger than he’d ever be, but she spoke in a manner that was friendly enough and he finally could see her face beyond her hood. Akira didn’t have the greatest judgement, but he didn’t think she’d attack him. He visibly beamed when she complimented him,”Really? Me popular? Well, yeah, of course I’ve got plenty of fans back home and more verses where that came from.” He wouldn’t reveal he was just starting out in his popstar career and young and new to all that. All this girl needed to know is that he’d would be the best one day even if he wasn’t right now.

”What’s twi’in mean? I wonder if that’s new a word I should know about,” and maybe he should use in one of his raps if so,”Oh! Why I’m here. Right, I don’t know where I’m at…buuut I bet you do! What is this place? Are there more of you? Can I sing again?”

He was looking to gain support and fans and a new chapter of his life. He did need someplace to be his base of operations but so far, the towns he’d come across just reminded him of home. This place was totally different. He’d could stay here…but a forest, even a magical forest, was no place for a popstar. Surely there had to be some sort of structure somewhere because a star couldn’t sleep on the ground. He couldn’t remember what time he’d wondered into this darkness and now with the red woods blotting out all light from the sky, it was impossible to tell if it was night or day.

Akira found out quickly there were more creatures in the woods. Yet another dire wolf appeared from the undergrowth and this one was bigger than the first and...grumpier. To Akira, honestly grumpy was a long shot and the new stranger was more, like, violent. Yeah.

With a backwards glance to Moonshadow and the conjured knife, the pink-furred cast an indignant look of shock,”What are you planning to do with that! Back away, guy. I didn’t come here for a fight. I’m looking for a new place to call home and start anew as an even brighter star.” His red eyes moved to Runicflare once throughout this speech with confusion before he finally moved to step away in order to be able to gaze at them both at the same time.

”I can see the Recondite Realm aren’t my biggest fans. I’ll stay awhile whether you like it or not and change that,” the scarf-wearing boy was crazy and maybe he could not tell when he’d struck out but he was sincere in his proposal to stay and make the best impression possible.

”Since we’re gonna be friends, what do I call the two of you?” Akira called with the ghost of a smile. It was just now dawning on him that the two dire wolves (while very different in age) may just be family. They were same species, lived in the same place, and seemed to know one another so it was a likely guess.