Serenade!! An Operatic Extravaganza!!

The trees seemed to sigh at night, exhaling at the end of the day and relaxing at the silence they could enjoy. Sure some of the island's denizens were more active at night, but by and large it was a more peaceful place, and it felt like even the less sentient organisms recognised that. The trees barely moved in the night air, letting their leaves flutter as they willed. Crickets rubbed their legs together to create the night chorus, singing back and forth as fireflies began to dance to their tune. Occasionally the sound of footsteps through the leaves could be heard, quiet and deliberate before a soft explosion of earthy impact, the strike of a predator upon prey. The woods would grow silent for a moment, like it was bowing its head to the death before resuming its gentle symphony.

This peace could not last, as pitchy screeches began to fill the air, bringing the silence to a crashing halt. As it started, it was like the other residents of the nocturnal forest were turning their small heads in irritance to face whatever had interrupted their routine. The crickets scattered and the gentle loops of fireflies turned into awkward, halted hovering as they decided whether or not to flee. When the screeching continued, it became the popular motion to remove themselves from the area. Soon even the fireflies had abandoned the clearing in favour of the trees, leaving the pond empty aside from its sole occupant.

Prince silenced his warmup by dunking his head in the clear, cool water. He smoothed his feathers back and shook the droplets from his face, letting them spray the dark green grass around him. The reeds barely moved in the scarce breeze and he could hear the slightest of footsteps move the foliage around him. He spun on his heel and spread his wings, displaying the soft pink feathers and their dark speckling of colour, as well as his golden chest. He had groomed himself to perfection for this occasion, and he was about to reap the rewards of his efforts.

Phlox's conspicuous pink tones came through the bushes, pushing the large leaves aside while his eyes stayed locked on Prince. In his mouth he held a fresh fish, juicy and still damp from the river, only recently having stopped squirming. Prince saw it and his eyes widened with surprise. Phlox dropped it onto the ground and gave the paler raptor a roguish grin.

“Got you something,” he said simply, nudging the rainbow trout closer to Prince.

“Ah, and this was supposed to be a treat for you!” Prince exclaimed, “Here you are bringing a gift for me, you are truly the dashing knight to my sensible bard, aren’t you?” Phlox blushed a little, his floral feathers hiding it thoroughly but his feet scuffed at the floor and revealed his bashfulness. 

“Can’t help it, I like doin’ nice things for you,” he admitted. Prince reacted by clutching his chest and gasping, making to swoon before righting himself. He cast his eye to the stars suddenly, like he was judging the time of night and was suddenly struck by the hour. He gestured to a pile of grass assembled into a nest shape, the perfect size for Phlox to sit in, so he did, taking the fish with him in case some entrepreneurial raccoon decided to make a move. He settled into the plush grasses, enjoying how it fit him perfectly as he let his tail drape over the side. When he looked up expectantly, the pale pink raptor snapped into action instantly.

“Hem, hem,” Prince cleared his throat, “Dear Phlox, please allow me to serenade you with a performance of my own crafting. You will experience a night of delight, a rising and falling narrative for the ages, all told through the sweet tones of your dear Prince!”

With that, he swung his crested tail around like a mighty curtain sweeping across the grass, signifying the beginning of the performance. Phlox felt quite unprepared, like he was supposed to have a drink and a meal with this kind of show. He couldn’t linger on that thought for long as Prince began to launch into the strangest vocalisations that he had ever heard. It wasn’t unpleasant, just weird, loud trilling and full-chested hollering paired with long, dramatic pauses, as if he was waiting for music to fill in the blanks. With a sudden lightbulb moment, Phlox realised Prince had learned this song, whatever it was, from an old human recording and simply chose to remain silent when the instruments played. His eyes began to water, what an inspired artistic choice! Prince continued through his performance, the powerful rise and fall of his voice leading his captive audience through a wordless tale of bravery and love. At least, that was certainly the reading Phlox was getting from it, he would have to ask the artist himself when he finished what the actual meaning behind it was. The finish came as the moon slipped from its overhead position, no longer marking the midpoint of the night. With a final, raucous call of triumph, Prince collapsed to the ground. 

Phlox applauded politely as the other raptor lay on the grass, his chest heaving with the effort of catching his breath.

“Are you sufficiently swooned, my love?” Prince asked sweetly.

“Oh absolutely, consider me thoroughly swooned,” Phlox grinned back.

“Marvelous! Truly sensational!” Prince crowed, loud enough to send crickets scattering again. He threw his head back and laughed, his eyes glittering with delight once he finally lowered his head again to look at Phlox. “Isn’t love grand? The culmination of our existence, to have and hold another as we hurtle through the grand cosmos of life? Truly this is the peak of art and life!”

“Certainly,” Phlox agreed, eyeing up the fish now that his appetite had been thoroughly worked up.

“Excellent! Then we shall proceed with the second act!”

“The second act?”

“Of six! I shall be serenading you into the sunrise!”