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Description
Shen's breath hitched in his throat as he gazed at his surroundings. He had witnessed many beautiful places -- the Tower of the Sacred Flame was of course a gorgeous structure, and Gongmen City seemed to be one vast, complex work of art unto itself -- but he knew from experience that everything was made more beautiful by fireworks, and for that reason, the fireworks factory was the most stunning location he'd ever seen. Oh, it held none of the grandiosity of his home, of course; it was made of slapdash wood and muddled throughout by smoke and the red tint of flames, but he could tell that this was a place of creation. To him, it felt like home.

And to think, he was thirteen years old and his parents had never allowed him in here before!

Reminding himself that he still wasn't technically allowed in here now, Shen crept silently along the catwalk, which was the perfect area for him to observe the activities of the factory without being spotted. He gazed at the workers below, palace guards and civilians alike, all mixing up strange concoctions of powders and fire. Oh, how he longed to understand what they were doing so that he could duplicate it himself! For he knew that soon, he would be taking his parents' place in every duty, including the creation of fireworks. And he was determined to create the most brilliant pyrotechnics displays that China had ever known.

He was so enraptured in his plans for the future that he didn't notice the dark blue shape stalking up to him until it was too late.

"Sheng Li!" boomed Lord Jin furiously.

Shen gasped and nearly lost his balance (though his rapidly lengthening tail feathers would probably be sufficient to catch him if he fell). His head swiveled upwards, and his heart sank as he realized that after barely ten minutes, he'd already been caught. "Oh, F-Father!"

Jin's vibrant blue feathers were bristling with rage. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded. "I told you not to come!"

"I...I was just curious!" Shen's developing crest descended shamefacedly, but he held his father's stare. "I know that it's my responsibility to learn how to make fireworks. I wanted to see how it's done, I -- "

"I said NO!" snapped Jin. "This is no place for you, Sheng Li! With your weak lungs, you're not suited to making fireworks!"

Shen's crimson eyes widened desperately. "But Father -- "

"No buts! Honestly, after all the time we've spent trying to keep you safe, this is how you repay us?! You go back to your quarters right now, young man. And your nanny will be hearing about this!"

Shen's head feathers flattened all the way, and his eyes narrowed bitterly. Without another word, he turned and fled the factory, internally steaming. Why did his parents think that he was so weak?! He wasn't a chick anymore -- soon he'd be a grown man! And yet they insisted on treating him like a child. Well, it seemed that he had no other choice than to prove himself...

"I'll show them," he muttered under his breath. "I'll make fireworks better than they ever could! They'll see..."

---

Still trying to figure out all this "layers" shit. They're useful for a lot of things, but the gapping and trying to track down different parts of the same picture can get really, really annoying.

But...yeah, I worked really hard on this, and the little ficlet up there says it all. Consider it as a sneak preview of one of the latter sections from White Hot Darkness. Enjoy, give me some feedback, and all that stuff.

Kung Fu Panda (C) DreamWorks

Description
Shen's breath hitched in his throat as he gazed at his surroundings. He had witnessed many beautiful places -- the Tower of the Sacred Flame was of course a gorgeous structure, and Gongmen City seemed to be one vast, complex work of art unto itself -- but he knew from experience that everything was made more beautiful by fireworks, and for that reason, the fireworks factory was the most stunning location he'd ever seen. Oh, it held none of the grandiosity of his home, of course; it was made of slapdash wood and muddled throughout by smoke and the red tint of flames, but he could tell that this was a place of creation. To him, it felt like home.

And to think, he was thirteen years old and his parents had never allowed him in here before!

Reminding himself that he still wasn't technically allowed in here now, Shen crept silently along the catwalk, which was the perfect area for him to observe the activities of the factory without being spotted. He gazed at the workers below, palace guards and civilians alike, all mixing up strange concoctions of powders and fire. Oh, how he longed to understand what they were doing so that he could duplicate it himself! For he knew that soon, he would be taking his parents' place in every duty, including the creation of fireworks. And he was determined to create the most brilliant pyrotechnics displays that China had ever known.

He was so enraptured in his plans for the future that he didn't notice the dark blue shape stalking up to him until it was too late.

"Sheng Li!" boomed Lord Jin furiously.

Shen gasped and nearly lost his balance (though his rapidly lengthening tail feathers would probably be sufficient to catch him if he fell). His head swiveled upwards, and his heart sank as he realized that after barely ten minutes, he'd already been caught. "Oh, F-Father!"

Jin's vibrant blue feathers were bristling with rage. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded. "I told you not to come!"

"I...I was just curious!" Shen's developing crest descended shamefacedly, but he held his father's stare. "I know that it's my responsibility to learn how to make fireworks. I wanted to see how it's done, I -- "

"I said NO!" snapped Jin. "This is no place for you, Sheng Li! With your weak lungs, you're not suited to making fireworks!"

Shen's crimson eyes widened desperately. "But Father -- "

"No buts! Honestly, after all the time we've spent trying to keep you safe, this is how you repay us?! You go back to your quarters right now, young man. And your nanny will be hearing about this!"

Shen's head feathers flattened all the way, and his eyes narrowed bitterly. Without another word, he turned and fled the factory, internally steaming. Why did his parents think that he was so weak?! He wasn't a chick anymore -- soon he'd be a grown man! And yet they insisted on treating him like a child. Well, it seemed that he had no other choice than to prove himself...

"I'll show them," he muttered under his breath. "I'll make fireworks better than they ever could! They'll see..."

---

Still trying to figure out all this "layers" shit. They're useful for a lot of things, but the gapping and trying to track down different parts of the same picture can get really, really annoying.

But...yeah, I worked really hard on this, and the little ficlet up there says it all. Consider it as a sneak preview of one of the latter sections from White Hot Darkness. Enjoy, give me some feedback, and all that stuff.

Kung Fu Panda (C) DreamWorks