Loyalty

Creatures · Post by **Myrin** » July 26th, 2009, 7:51:09 am

((Author Note: I really should check whether the name I wanted to use for my story has already been used before I post...))

There is no creature more loyal than the phoenix. Treat it well, and it will never leave you.

Advise from an old magi to her apprentice, along with the gift of a burning-hot egg. The apprentice took his master's words to heart, and gave the egg all the tender care it could possibly need. When it hatched, he kept the new phoenix with him at all times, first in a special sling, then perched on his shoulder as he went about his work. And the phoenix was dedicated to him, his constant companion.

Long years passed, and the apprentice became a magi in his own right. He became famous for his menagerie and his skill with creatures of all kinds. Gryphons came to his call, and kraken brought him the secrets of the seas. Through it all, the phoenix remained with him, serving as messenger, protector, or scout as needed. Together, it seemed like there was nothing they couldn't do.

Then came the expedition to the frozen tundra to the north. Magi from all over pooled their resources to explore this untouched land. Eager speculation ran rampant over what new wonders might be found, what new creatures tamed. The expedition was to include some of the most powerful magi in the world, each the premier expert in his or her field. And they wanted the greatest trainer of magical creatures with them. The invitation was an unprecedented honor, one that no magi could possibly refuse.

But a phoenix cannot survive the tundra's bitter cold.

So it was with great reluctance that the magi prepared to take a journey without his phoenix companion for the first time. He made sure to find a good home for his lifelong friend before he left, another magi with an affinity for the firebirds. At first the phoenix was not happy with the new arrangement, and had to be caged lest it try to follow its departed master. But as time went on, it settled into its new home, and its new caretaker began letting it out to with the rest of his phoenixes.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised when, having let the phoenixes out for a day, one did not return. He sent a message to the expedition immediately, of course, and sent his own birds in search of the wayward phoenix. Despite all efforts, no sign of the expedition magi's missing bird was found for weeks. Until the magi woke one morning to the sound of soft scraping against his tent.

The phoenix was huddled on top of the tent, scratching weakly, its flame a bare shimmer among the fluffed feathers. Quickly the magi took the phoenix inside his tent and bundled it in his bedding, trying to warm it. But the phoenix only huddled deeper in the blankets. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and the blankets collapsed into a much smaller bundle. Heartbroken, the magi carefully peeled away the blankets, both hopeful and doubtful that the dying firebird had enough strength left, at the end, to leave an egg among its ashes.

There was an egg, but it was like none he had ever seen before Icy blue, the flame-like shimmer around it radiated a soft chill. Curious and bewildered, the magi carefully cleaned the ashes of his companion's last life, and set to tending this new egg.

The creature which hatched from the egg was as strange as the egg had been, blue and white instead of orange and red, it otherwise looked like a phoenix in every way. Its behavior was also odd; it seemed to thrive in the cold weather and loved to play in the snow. But one thing was unmistakeably the same: the phoenix refused to let its master out of its sight.

When the expedition was ready to return, the magi opted to stay in the tundra. Now that his phoenix had adapted to the cold, he did not wish to risk it in warm lands. In the years to come he would sometimes visit his old home during the coldest part of winter, the blue-white "ice" phoenix always by his side. Gradually those visits dropped to every two years, then four, and eventually they stopped altogether. No sign of the magi was ever found again, but to this day those who risk exploring the frozen north may sometimes find a nest of strange blue eggs that shimmer with cold fire.

Creatures · Post by **Jeni** » July 26th, 2009, 11:15:19 am

Oh, nice! Very well written, and clever.

MagiStream

Loyalty

Loyalty

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