The Ice Phoenix
Fun Fact! - During the coldest months of the year, the ice phoenix, usually sticking to small communities, becomes impressively social. This is a point where the phoenixes are often at their healthiest, allowing a more comfortable, more communal range of behaviors. These times are crucial for individuals less suited for the harsh environment, particularly those with color mutations. It has even been seen that ice phoenixes, who may compete for food any other time of the year, will go as far as sharing a catch with others that have had less luck.
There is one subset of phoenixes who have carved out a separate niche, however. The black mutants, or at least a particularly cunning group of them, have learned to hunt under the cover of night. This is when their darkened feathers actually come at an advantage, not a detriment, and with the sun set they don’t have to worry about their dark colors absorbing too much heat. While not all black ice phoenixes display this behavior, those that do have been quite successful.
Among whispers and rumors about these night phoenixes is a saying that their call, a beautiful melody associated with the ice phoenix, is particularly haunting when sung by a black phoenix at night.
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Tiny AIW Excerpt…
(This doesn’t guarantee a bigger story in the future, have mercy on me pls /lh)
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆ . . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
(prologue thing?)
They took away everything I had left to hold onto. Everything but them, at least. It almost felt freeing, a relief, in a strange way.
The scent of flowers was thick and sweet to my senses. My thoughts slowly blur together as I drowned in the heavy aroma.
No longer did I have to uphold myself as a person. In this land, responsibility was merely a word. A silly word, at that. I was being offered the chance to be freed from the pressure of my former life on a silver platter by the people who have unfailingly proved their devotion to me again and again. Who would I be to deny them?
Gentle hands of cool metal joints and warm motors take my own of flesh. There is an unspoken promise in our grasps.
Out there, there wasn’t anything waiting for me. Really, I had submitted to my fate long before I came here. Before I met them.
I would miss the surface.. My friends.. My brother..
If I just stayed right where I was, surely I’d be happy. He said so. They both did. And I believe them, as much as they believe in me that I’ll stay. I have nowhere to run, therefore I’d never think to walk.
Here, I’ll be safe. Here, I’ll be happy.
• • • • •
(Main excerpt)
“Sugarcube!~ It’s time for tea!”
I shift as a voice rouses me awake and I groan in protest. I felt so warm… I didn’t want to get up… Get up…
Get up from where?
Eyes snapping open, I sit up, finding myself on a grass and wool-stuffed mattress. A warm blanket made of soft fibers had been wrapped around my body, shrugged off when I began to scan my surroundings.
The room was dimly lit and the air was crisp, making me imagine the walls were made of stone or perhaps bricks. Unfortunately my vision wasn’t the best without my glasses. Candles were lit about the room. There were no windows, but there was a lone door on the far wall. Was I underground?
“There’s my little sunshine!” The same voice from before warbled, followed by the clinking of porcelain. “Come! Come! Before your tea gets cold!”
With bleary vision, I turn toward the voice. At a small wooden table set in the middle of the room sat a familiarly flamboyant red-clad figure with their knees up to their chest as they tried to sit in one of the child-sized chairs. I began shuffling off the bed, brushing myself off.
“M-Mister Hatter?” I mumbled as I walked over. “Wher—“
The Hatter tutted at me before I could finish, placing a delicate finger up to my lips. “Dearest little dewdrop, I told you, you can just call me Sun!”
“Uh, Sun?” I eyed the liquid the bot was pouring into the cups. Yellow flower petals and flecks of green herbs floated prettily along the surface of the unknown brew.
“Hmmm?” Hatter hummed, the swirls in his eyes seeming to glow with warmth at the sound of his name.
“Where am I? I didn’t fall down another hole again, did I?” I rubbed at my eyes. “And have you seen my glasses anywhere?”
“Oh! Those are right here!” Dodging my first question, the Hatter pointed at the other side of the table which sat the other teacup along with the distinct sheen of my lenses against the candlelight. “Come on! Have a sit with this lonely hatter!”
“Ah, right.” I nodded before taking my seat across from the bot, putting my glasses back on once I sat. Ah, vision at last.
The first thing I realized was the room was dingy, dustier than I expected. Before I could really notice any other finer details, Sun piped up once again.
“Very good, my dear,” he praised with a light laugh that made me nearly blush. “Now then, where you are. That’s a simple one!”
I leaned in with anticipation. With a relaxed—almost smug—gaze, the Hatter answered.
“I brought you home.”
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