Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Origin 1 - Boris

Origin 1 - Boris

On December 25, 2000, Boris Downing was born in St. Elmer's hospital at 8:56 AM, but he was not born alone. Along with him came his two sisters Molly and Leah Downing. Triplets.

The three baby otters were born into an already wealthy family; Boris' great-great-grandfather had invented and patented a way for smaller animals to drive regular cars.

The egregiously named Daddy Long Legs was a long gadget that smaller mammals set up on the floor of middle-sized cars, essentially raising the pedals so that they could reach. It brought the entire Downing family heavy wealth, never experiencing financial hardship from that point.

Thus, he had Downing Manor erected. A large, 8,540 square foot art piece that was imposing to anyone driving by. Ten bedrooms, a whopping fourteen bathrooms, a beautiful and well-kept courtyard, and a grandiose kitchen with marble counters were just the beginning. A vast dining room with three chandeliers, a theater room, a game room, a basement, and multiple washrooms still wasn't everything. The hallways seemed to go on forever, there was a conservatory, a ballroom, and any other amount of decadent animal luxuries that made other wealthy animals jealous.

Growing up in a place such as this certainly affected how Boris viewed the rest of the world, not to mention that his family's class far exceeded that of anyone else he knew or met. And that was just the thing. He practically never met anyone or left. He had everything he needed in Downing Manor. The staff all did their job, and he was kind to them as a kid, thinking they were part of the family just like anyone else.

Boris, Leah, and Molly were all normal rich babies. They got every toy they wanted to shut them up, they fought like normal siblings, and they explored the mansion to no end. They were all well behaved, too. It was only after they began growing up that things changed.

After being homeschooled by a private teacher until the end of 8th grade, the class of three siblings was ready to go onto high school. Some infidelity and marriage problems later, their mother ran off with Mr. Anderson, while their father decided to fire the handsome male teacher, an otter just like them, and let them go to a school of their choosing.

Each of the siblings was enrolled in private lessons and homeschooled. They were all forced to learn the piano in the sprawling ballroom with its light brown wooden floor and the large, fancy rug covering most of the space. They would take their lessons, one by one, thirty minutes at a time. Once one of them was finished, that animal would observe until all three animals were done.

Molly was average. She found it to be a fun hobby but never picked it up in her free time. Leah was horrendous and would often cry during the lessons, adding minutes to almost every other session. She was the kind of animal to groan every time she hit a wrong note. Boris, however, found true talent in tickling the ivories. So gifted was he that his instructor insisted he showed off his abilities in a solo recital for other neighboring families. Boris loved the attention at the time.

From then on, he began listening to classical music. The instructor, whom he remembered was named Dr. Fisk, had gifted him a record by his favorite composer at the end of a recital. Often, the male otter would go down to the ballroom and pull up the comfiest chair, sinking into it and letting the soothing melodies lull him to sleep. Those were the days.

Boris wasn't only gifted in the art of musicianship, either. After watching a few videos about famous painters, the otter realized that it was something he was interested in himself. He practiced with drawing first, which he got good at before he moved on to real painting. Watercolor, acrylic, oil; he tried it all.

After Mr. Anderson was fired and Dr. Fisk decided to pursue other callings, Boris began researching a high school. He found a perfect Fine Arts Academy that wasn't too far from his home. It was a public school. Once Leah and Molly had come to their father with the same school in mind, it was decided all three siblings would attend together, being driven in a fancy car there every morning, causing all the other kids to stare.