[Trade] Ignis x Phoenix

The sun was slowly rising above the horizon, casting a vivid orange glow over the whole archipelago. Half of this astronomical giant’s disc was already peeking out from behind the distant mountains, glowing like burning metal heated to a red-hot glow.

Ignis leisurely preened his dark feathers, cleaning them, while gazing at this wonder of nature. The orange glow both calmed him and filled the male with new energy. It reminded him of a raging fire.

Standing beside her partner, far less moved by this sight, was Phoenix. The female stood on a dark, rocky ledge deep within the small cave where they had spent the night. She had not yet fully woken, still feeling the weight of her sleepy, half-closed eyelids. She did not like such early mornings. Nor was she a great fan of the ashlands where they currently found themselves. Unlike Ignis, Phoenix did not feel at her best in this utterly scorched, lifeless, grey place. It depressed her. She would much rather have lived somewhere in the parts of the island more conducive to any kind of life. Ignis’ will, however, was unyielding.

The male took short leaps to the very edge of the rocky ledge jutting out from the main cliff face. From this spot, he had a good view of the surroundings. He revelled in the monotonous, grey vista – with not a single terrestrial dinosaur in sight. He wished the whole archipelago could look like this one day.

However, the longer Ignis gazed at this desolate landscape, the more he felt he was seeing some sort of aberration in it – a dark spot in the sky, slowly growing in size. A spot that definitely shouldn’t be there.

Alarmed, Ignis ruffled his long feathers, filled with sudden anger. He let out a long, shrill screech, flapping his impressively long wings menacingly. An intruder!

Phoenix, seeing this sudden commotion which she could not understand, instinctively jumped back, hiding even deeper inside the cave. She was startled by this sudden chaos. What had Ignis come up with this time?

Meanwhile, the uninvited guest, completely unaware of the presence of the two tapejaras, continued to glide through the sky, rapidly approaching their hiding place. Phoenix, hidden behind the rocks, was completely invisible from the ‘intruder’s’ perspective. Ignis, on the other hand, though his feathers bore multicoloured markings, was entirely covered in a layer of greyish, greasy ash. He blended in with the surrounding cliffs so well that he was exceptionally difficult to spot from afar.

It quickly became clear that the grey-blue male, who had quite by chance ventured deep into the barren ashlands, would not escape a head-on encounter with the pair living there. Ignis, driven forward by his blind fury, intended to hasten the inevitable.

The crested male sprang nimbly from the edge of the cliff and, with a few powerful flaps of his wings, soared into the air. Phoenix, flustered, emerged from the depths of the cave, trying to understand what had driven Ignis to yet another outburst of aggression. By the time she saw the strange male, he was already quite close. She felt an unpleasant shiver, her neck feathers bristling – it looked set to be a brutal fight.

Sage, who had only just noticed the two members of his own species, slowed slightly, spreading his wings and allowing a sudden gust of air to help him lose speed. Instinctively, he wanted to signal to those ahead of him that he posed no threat and had no ill intentions. The speed with which the unfamiliar male was closing the gap between them made it immediately clear that it was far too late for any conciliatory gestures.

The grey male frantically scanned his surroundings, trying to find any hiding place that might help him avoid a fight. To no avail – the barren ashlands offered no shelter. Sage, seeing Ignis approaching dangerously fast, swerved, passing him on the left. The black tapejara braked sharply in mid-air, attempting a sharp turn.

Sage, though he had the perfect opportunity to hook his opponent with his sharp beak, continued to opt for a cautious defence. Ignis had no such problem – as soon as he was facing his rival again, he immediately shot his claws towards him. They hit their mark, but did not inflict much damage.

Sage, irritated by this unprovoked attack, made use of his size (he was clearly larger and heavier than Ignis). He struck him head-on, locking with the crested male in a dangerous embrace.

Phoenix watched with bated breath as the tangled tapejaras began to plummet violently downwards. The two males became a blurred mass of multicoloured feathers, blindly pecking at one another. The canyon echoed with the aggressive cries of the fighting reptiles.

Feeling a sudden loss of altitude, the males separated for a moment, circling tightly around each other. This time, Sage attacked first – he had no ill intentions at first, but he wasn’t going to let himself be easily defeated.

Ignis was prepared for the attack. Using his exceptional agility, he executed a nimble dodge, hitting his opponent with his long wing in the process. The black and orange feathers blinded Sage, lashing his head, whilst Ignis’ tiny claws struck the other male’s temple. This time, blood flowed from a shallow scratch.

Sage, taken by surprise by the blow, veered off to the side, dangerously disrupting his flight path. Ignis set off after him, chasing his bleeding rival. This time, the grey male had no intention of retaliating again – he had nothing left to fight for.

Seeing his opponent’s surrender, Ignis let out a triumphant screech as he hovered in the air. He kept a close watch on the male’s flight, making sure he left his territory. And so it was – Ignis could count the fight as a victory.

The black male returned to the small cave, landing somewhat clumsily on the cliff. Phoenix greeted him anxiously, checking his body for injuries – the fight, though brief, had looked rather dangerous. Only now, as the adrenaline in Ignis' veins began to subside, did the male realise he hadn’t emerged from the encounter unscathed – several of the blows that had landed had given him a proper beating. Tiny drops of blood dripped onto the stone ledge, falling from his feathers.

Phoenix, careful not to be shooed away by the irritated male, began to clean his bloodied feathers, assessing the extent of his injuries as she went. He was wounded, but not too seriously – he’d managed to defeat the intruder without much sacrifice on his part. Phoenix had already forgotten just how well Ignis could fight when he put his mind to it. Defending her and their shared territory was certainly a strong motivation.

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