Canyon ducked into the hollow of a unoccupied tree. She peered out, and almost fainted in relief. What a silly chicken she was! What was she thinking! It turned out that the 'hunter' sound was only snakes slithering around to catch some food. How foolish she had been! This woods was called Hunterless Woods because there were no hunters roaming around here! Stupid!
Aw, man! Not again! Not after the last time with the incident with that stick! I should've known that hunters lived up on the opposite side of this land by now! Why am I thinking like this?! And...snakes, please don't look at me!
A snake slithered up to her. "Excussse me, but why are you hiding? What are you ssssso worried about?" He was some sort of tranquil green viper. His voice slid over her bones eerily. "There issss nothing to hide from." He looked behind him, then back. "Just figured I'd asssssk you, assss the other ssssnakesss were wondering the ssssame thing."
Canyon looked down, embarrassed. "I just thought...never mind." She shuffled her feet anxiously.
The black snake reared. "Okay. But try not to do that again, or the other ssssnakessss will attack you." He went down on his belly, and started to slide away. "If you're wondering why we would do that, it would be becausssse we can." He then disappeared over the trees.
After her embarrassing moment when snakes looked at her curiously, Canyon soared over the trees of the Hunterless Woods, this time about to soar into the thin Crescent Woods. For a moment, she felt a slight chill riding up her spine. It felt unsettling. Summer was approaching, but why was it so chilly recently? It seemed colder than usual. Last year was steaming hot, but -
She saw snow falling. Snow? I thought that we wouldn't get snow for at least another five months! She shuddered. Luckily, she still had some of her fledgling down feathers, which were keeping her warm.
She suddenly heard something in the distance. Now, what was all of the ruckus going on? She flew closer, then flared her wings when she already felt closer than comfortable enough.
Canyon tilted her head to listen better from afar. The noise sounded almost like an icy roar...No, it just simply cannot be possible! It may just be the Northern Falls, Canyon told herself, There's no such thing as a legend coming to life.
For a moment, all was silent and still again. It was as if the world was holding its breath, waiting for someone to do something to break that silence.
Rrrrrroooaaar....There it was again! She tried to latch on to the sound, trying to pinpoint where it may've been coming from. She thought it may've been coming from the Southern Region, but that was impossible! Eventually, the sound faded, and Canyon relaxed once again. But still...there was something about that sound that reminded her of something...
Her nightmare! Yes, that was it! Her nightmare contained that ferocious roar! But, no. No! This can't be happening to me! Canyon, focus! Focus on something else! Push that thought away into the Abyss of Ice Talons! So Canyon started to focus on looking towards the sky. Yes. The sky was simply amusing. She loved those beautiful and endless stars that made constellations.
Occasionally, though, Canyon would look down again at the Southern Region where the roar had come from. She tried to catch that noise again, to prove that she wasn't hearing things. Nothing. But something about that noise made her extra cautious on where she was heading. Was she crazy?
Canyon lifted her head again to look at the sky after her 12th time looking at the horizon. She gazed at the stars, that were so bright and shiny, having many similarities with her own deep blue, shimmering eyes. She could only see the stars for a moment before snow clouds started rolling in to cover up the beautiful night sky. Snow! What?! In the end of Spring? But she only had to think of the question before she had to stop before a large flock of Razorbills and Night Hawks. There were a lot of gasps and murmurings flinging about, but too quiet for Canyon to hear nor understand. So she flew a bit closer.
"Look, look at the sea -"
"Why should we do that?"
"It's frozen -"
"What?! The Sea of Fire never freezes - "
"But it has..."
Canyon looked at the sea for a moment, until she got interrupted by a screeching overhead. A large falcon soared overhead, flanked by two Great Horned Owls. He perched in front of the flock, with his two comrades circling overhead, ready to spring into action. It was the King of the World!
King Falcon Claws spoke only a few sentences with his deep and slurred booming voice. But it was those few sentences that took a toll on the birds the most. "I know that there are some rumors going around, but let me clarify and make those rumors as well purified. It is time we try to survive, because the Sea of Fire has frozen! Remember the legends from your relatives. Remember the Dark Ice Ages. Remember how to survive, because if you don't you'll all die! Be dignified. Be honorable. I'll soon be back to battle a war that was never meant to be." Without another word, he spread his wings and took off, heading Southeastward. His escorts flew behind him boldly, flapping their wings with dignity.
And little did Canyon - or any other bird know - that a legendary menace had come rising from the depth of an ice prison. Little did they know that there were more colder and harsher things to come. For this was the first warning of a great threat.
YOU ARE READING
The Prophecy of the Fire Phoenix: #1 The Gift of Phoenix Fire
FantasíaHer final destiny was to complete The Prophecy of the Fire Phoenixes. And that was it - no reason to worry about a possible relative, nor was it her business to get involved with anything associated in her biggest threat coming her way. She just had...
