Kindle
The sky was tinted orange with the first burst of sunset when Phoenix awoke from her slumber, stretching out her wings as wide as she could. If she squinted hard enough, she could almost pretend the clouds brushing the edges of her wings were a mothers touch, gently preening and cooing to her. But it had been many years since Phoenix had hatched alone from her egg, abandoned on top of a sea stack. She was an adult now, fully grown into her feathers- although the memory of the angry sea, roaring and reaching for her would always be in her nightmares. Now she lingered inland, away from the shores and beaches and the might of the tide.
Phoenix had grown up alone, barely running into even any of her own species. For the most part, the only other tapejaras she had met were large, tight knit family groups. However, a few days ago, she ran into another- someone like her. A small male tapejara, with feathers even darker than her own- and laced with markings much like her own. The two hadn’t spoken more than a few words before parting, but still Phoenix couldn’t help but return to the spot she last saw him at every dusk, heart aching every time when she found only the wind.
But today she was in luck- black feathers near the ground and the tang of something bitter and ashy caught her attention. There, landed in the dirt, poking at something, was the stranger- Ignis, if she remembered his name right. Curious, Phoenix angled her wings and dove downwards, landing a careful distance from the male. Now that she was closer, she could make out what he was doing better- clutched in his talons was some strange human device, low clicks coming from it as he peered at a pile of wood with an intense look on his face.
“Hey. It's you again.” The voice made Phoenix jump- the male hadn’t even turned his head from whatever he was working out, still keeping his back to her in a display of trust (or more likely, cockiness) that was unusual to see out here. “I see you share my interests, hmm? You're the first one to seek me out again.”
“I'm sorry- interests?” Well. Interest peaked, Phoenix hopped a bit closer. She took a moment to observe the male. His feathers weren’t just dark- they were also covered with a heavy dusting of ash and smog, almost concealing the almost glowing marks on his body. He almost looked like living fire, or those pools of magma Phoenix had flown over a few times. Some may have been disgusted by it- but she was all the more curious. After all, she herself was quite fiery in appearance, having often been compared to fire through a haze of smoke.
“Yes. Look at… this!” With a triumphant squawk, one of the clicks finally seemed to work. The male- Ignis- carefully placed down the strange human tool he was holding, before starting to puff on the small pile of branches before him.
Alarmed, Phoenix watched in confusion- what was this? She was considering leaving silently when she noticed the glow, the warmth of it drawing her closer until she was almost brushing against Ignis. A small blaze was slowly growing, flickering weakly on the kindling. Something inside her stirred at the appearance of the small flame- it was small, weakly bobbing as it desperately fought to exist. She shouldn’t have been feeling so sentimental- it was fire. She knew what fire could do, what destruction it could bring. But when she closed her eyes, all she could see was her as a chick, attempting to survive in a world where the sea tried to extinguish her. “Can I help?”
Ignis cocked his head around, looking at her silently for a moment. Phoenix tried not to shuffle under his intense yellow gaze, instead meeting it with her own, much more relaxed one. “No one had ever asked that before.” He mumbled, almost seeming confused, before managing to catch himself and return to his more aloof nature. “Well, if you want, gather some more bits of wood for kindling. The softer and drier, the better. The more it gets, the faster it will grow.” He turned his head back around, returning his attention to the little spitfire.
Phoenix nodded, turning away towards a nearby thicket. It was the middle of winter- while there was no snow, today, the cold made things especially dry. It was not hard to find a brittle bush, and her beak made quick work of the fragile twigs. She grabbed a beakful, careful to not drop any, before making her way back. Ignis hadn’t moved even an inch, still focused on helping direct air to the flame. Phoenix scooted closer, until her wings were ever so slightly brushing Ignis’s. The male didn’t react, focused on the flame. Carefully Phoenix lowered her head, dropping her kindling into the hungry flame. She almost jumped as sparks popped and fizzed as they consumed the branches, a wave of heat hitting her beak. It wasn’t painful, just… odd. “Is… is that ok?” She worried, stepping back a step.
Ignis carefully walked around the flame, as if observing it from all angles. It was a decent size now, steadily burning on the larger branches without Ignis’s constant instance. “It's good.” He finally broke the silence, before turning to face her. “You're a natural.” Phoenix preened a bit under the praise. There was something calculated in Ignis’s eyes as he stared at her- maybe for the first time fully paying attention to her. “Did you want to learn how to carry it?”
The offer stunned Phoenix for a moment. “You… you know how to do that?” It seemed impossible- a tale straight from a legend. But somehow, she didn’t doubt the tapejara in front of her.
Ignis flashed her a grin with a wicked beak. “Of course. I will have to warn you, however, it’s no simple practice. Should you still wish to continue, we’d have to meet here every day for daily practice.” The tapejara pressed closer, the strongest emotion she’d heard yet from him steadily increasing as he continued to talk. “But it’s well worth it. With it, we become the handlers of the most powerful force on the island. Nothing would ever dare challenge us.” Ignis held out a winged claw to her- an offer.
Maybe if Phoenix had been smarter, she would have seen the true meaning behind those words- the vicious glee at the thought of conquest and a fiery rein. But all she saw was the act of creation- together, they had breathed a flame to life from mere sparks- what else could she learn to do. “Let's do it.” And the deal was made; forming a partnership doomed to end in flames.
