Finfolk

 

Waves lapped against the rocky shore where gulls circled, floating slowly down to the churning water. Little boats were tied to small docks. They rocked back and forth, empty in the morning fog. It had been days since anyone had dared to leave the small village whose shores had once beamed with fish.

I peered over the edge of the boat into the murky cold water below. Fish stirred, pausing in their swimming only to jut ahead, moving away from a shadow I could not see. There was plenty of life in the sea. The village hadn’t stayed away because there was no food. No storms had assaulted the shore. Nothing was out of place save the absence of fishers on the sea surface.

The rocky outcropping I sat on was in the middle of the bay. From the few accounts I had heard, it was here that they had seen the creatures but a week ago. Since then they had taken to their homes, hiding from the beasts they saw within the water’s depths. I could feel their eyes on me from their small homes, barely able to note my silhouette in the fog.

Sunlight couldn’t break the mist. The world stayed grey and grim, moody clouds rolling in to cover what little light the sun could provide. In the grim daylight, I shifted on the rock, resting my bare feet on the stone below where water splashed playfully against its rough surface. Fish now and then darted nearer, curious at the toes I let sit in the water, before swimming away whenever I moved.

A smile touched my lips at their strange playfulness. Yet they scattered when a large shadow moved in the frigid water. Its head broke the surface, large black eyes looking at me from a round face. The seal snorted, nostrils flaring open. It bobbed, staring at me as I watched it, mouth opening to reveal large teeth and a goofy smile.

“You can’t be what they’re all afraid of…” I murmured, shifting to kneel on the rocks so that I was nearly level with the seal.

My head tilted, eyeing the seal up for signs that it was a selkie. “You’re just a touch too small.”

The seal barked, booming voice echoing through the mist. Its head turned, nostrils closing as it lowered into the water. The round eyes grew wide. I turned my head, glancing into the mist where it stared in fascination and fear. 

Nothing was there save the rolling misty air. The gulls went quiet, landing atop the rocks, suddenly avoiding the water. The seal disappeared, moving below the surface and vanishing from my sight. An eerie quiet spread over the bay, leaving me alone with the mist and the waves.

On the horizon, the mist broke, as though raveling within itself to reveal the grey shape of an island. My brows knit together. There was no island, not for miles. Yet there it sat, clear as day. From the mist came a single boat and in the little fisher boat stood a man, tall and broad, with hard eyes and a sharp scowl.

His boat moved with purpose though he did not row it himself. Suddenly I knew that the villagers were afraid of him. My instinct told me to turn and climb back up the cliff to get away from the water’s edge. It was a human instinct. It was the instinct I most often ignored.

The fisherman moved closer, deliberately aiming for where I knelt on the rock, my skirt drawn up to sit in a knot in my lap. I didn’t bother to move or stand. Instead, I waited until he was close enough I could hear him over the waves and I raised my hand in greeting. 

“Well met, sailor. You seem to be braving the ocean when no other will.”

A sly grin touched his lips. “You do not seem afraid.”

“It’s just water,” I replied easily, dangling my fingers into the cool fluid. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Can never trust suspicious villagers. A shadow will frighten them.”

“Is that what you are?” I asked, raising a brow. “A shadow?”

The fisherman scoffed, waving a hand. Between his fingers webbing sat, connecting them for swimming. He pulled it away, digging it into the coat pocket when my eyes caught sight of it.

“If not a shadow, then what? They’re afraid and you aren’t. So either you know something I don’t about what lurks in these waters or…” I paused, pulling my hand from the water to rest in my lap. “You are what lurks in these waters.”

His boat drew nearer, inching closer to me with each passing moment. “What makes you think I know anything about the finfolk?” he asked.

“I didn’t mention the finfolk.” I blinked, trying to recall what I had heard of their people. “Is that Hildaland?”

The man finally chuckled. “What do you know of it?”

“I want to see it,” I replied without hesitating. Finally, I stood. He was no more than an arms reach from me. 

A strange look passed on his face. “Your kind is not to see it.”

“Oh?” I moved, stepping into his boat. It teetered precariously before steadying, though he didn’t move to keep it afloat.

“You’re brazen.”

“What are you going to do about it?” I smirked, moving closer to him, touching the fishing coat he wore over his broad frame. 

The man paused, watching my face. “Are you hoping for a husband? Is that why you’re out here?”

I gently tugged the coat open, revealing the strange form beneath. He didn’t flinch nor stop me but kept his intense gaze on my face as I slid my hand beneath the fabric, brushing the fins that lay blow. They draped over his body as clothing would on a human, beautiful and sharp. 

His eyes widened, just slightly, when I didn’t flinch away. “I’m not the marrying type,” I finally replied, looking up at his inhuman eyes. They barely moved but stayed intensely focused on my face. “But I can pretend to be a bride if that’s what thrills you.”

The finman raised a brow, glancing at my lingering hand that slowly slid down until it caressed the wet flesh of his hip. He shivered, scales pressing against my hand and leaving behind faint slick wetness. I stroked lower, sliding near his inner thigh, and he let out a soft gasp.

“Can I?” I asked, pressed against him in his little boat.

The finfolk gave a nod. My hand moved to his hardness, taking it in my hand and gently caressing. The same slime-like substance covered his length and let him slide in my hand easily. Each stroke made him shudder, mouth opening to show jagged teeth. The smell of fish and the sea rose from his flesh, filling my nostrils as the small boat rocked from my movements.

“Lay down,” I murmured to him, slowly stepping back to give him room. 

He shifted, letting the coat fall from his frame to show the finned body beneath. He was pale, with a strong body and sharp features. Fins covered him, acting as clothing would on a mortal, thin and translucent in the low light. He moved without grace in the boat, though his strength gave him a strange sense of control as he lowered himself down, legs on either side of me, fins glistening.

“You’re beautiful.” I knelt between his legs, hands taking his engorgement and beginning to gently stroke. He was surprisingly thick and long, somewhere between human and wholly something else. It twitched and moved with its own intentions, nearly tentacle-like, reaching up for me and caressing my bottom lip with need.

I lowered my head, tongue meeting the tip of his length and sending a gasp from his lips. Scaly fingers slid through my hair, holding but never tugging. “Please,” he whispered. “Please. I beg you.”

“Beg me what?” I asked, tongue dancing over the length of his shaft before swirling around the tip. 

Fingers grasped the side of the boat and hips bucked. “Yes. That. Please? More…” 

Each word was spastic and difficult for him to say. The human visage he held fell away, the pale skin showing the glimmering white and green scales beneath. Eyes bright yellow as any fish’s would be. The webbed fingers became slimy, the texture of wet fish. His head lifted, strange eyes staring into my own, as I opened my mouth and pulled him within.

My head moved, bobbing up and down, feeling the wriggling appendage within my mouth and throat. I moaned against him, the taste of living fish and ocean water sliding over my tongue. The tentacle curled and moved, as though seeking an entrance to fill and exploring deeper in my throat on its journey. 

Slippery fluid gently rose from the tip, lubricating the passage and filling my mouth with an oily substance that tasted of earth and brine. His hips moved, thrusting that length up into me further, its searching tip venturing ever further. I moaned on his length, letting it explore for long lingering minutes as our boat wandered further and further from shore.

He cried out, fingers gripping my head. I pulled back as he cried out in frustration. His eyes stared at me in disbelief and shock, length twitching and searching for the wet home it had had but a moment ago. 

“Why?” he whispered, hoarse and sallow.

I pulled my skirts up and moved to stand above him. “Because I’m not done with you yet, husband.”

He gripped my hips, pulling me down atop him. The sliding length moved upward and found a home, pushing inward and deep. It was my turn to give a moan and shudder as our bodies met, his thick length barely fitting within. I began to slowly grind against him, sending jolts of pleasure through my core with each rotation.

The finman dug his fingers into my hips, sliding me upwards until our faces nearly met. “Ride me, wife,” he growled and pushed back on my thighs, back down atop his writhing hardness. It pushed up in me with renewed vigor, suddenly harder and thicker, ropey slime stretching between us as I rose and moved down atop him over and over.

Our bodies slammed against each other, rocking the boat viciously as it lead us out to sea. Water sprayed across my face as the waves pushed against the wooden sides, splashing us both as we moved. His hands roamed my body, gripping and pulling, eagerness and pleasure in every gesture.

Moans filled the air around us, nearly swallowed by the mist and the churning water. A storm brewed on the horizon, building in pressure and size as our ecstasy did. He thrust upward, hard and fast, pushing into me as his hardness grew and my body stretched to fit his growing lust. Never a kiss was shared between us, just grunted commands and animalistic language I knew but could never speak again.

Electric pleasure grew in my core, sending jolts of delight through my body until I cried out and exploded inward, waves of lust and delight spilling outward. I shuddered atop him, muscles tight and throbbing, as he gripped me and pulled me down atop him, hips moving to keep thrusting inward. The curling chaos of his length pulsed within me and then twitched and writhed, spewing his seed in thick ropey ooze that coated our hips.

I gasped, sagging against him our bodies shuddered together. My head rested on his chest while I felt the tentacle within me slowly began to soften and gently slid out. The boat hit a rock, knocking us out of our reverie. 

The island loomed above, filled with a small village that could not be seen from the land. My brows furrowed. People milled about, children ran between them, part human, part finfolk. They laughed and traded their goods, gardened and farmed… 

I laughed softly. “You didn’t actually kidnap any of them, did you?”

He shifted, holding me against him as he sat up. “There is safety in fear.”

I glanced at his face, leaning back enough to look into his eyes. “Clever. Humans are gullible if nothing else.”

“Will you stay, wife?” A small grin touched his lips.

My eyes looked at the happy, thriving community, safely tucked away from the mortals we all had come to fear. “I will. But I won’t marry you.”

He kissed my lips, slow and languidly, the first embrace of many. “They don’t need to know that.”

Unicorn

 

The woods were deep and dark. In the distance, the sound of bells and a woman singing echoed. The wildlife went still with each bell tinkle, waiting for proof that the men had gone before they came alive again. Despite this chaos, there was a sense of peace in the woods. The sweet smell of lilacs hung in the air and fireflies danced around the perfectly clear blue pond. 

I inhaled the scent, holding it in my mouth. It had been years since I had been in the quiet magic of a forest like this. There was no terror here, no frightened beast that linger in the dark. The Woods were magical in their own right but the lingering presence of their protector left a newness in the air. 

The fireflies flitted in the air as I walked by the pond. In the light of the full moon, I could see my reflection, eyes wide with eagerness and lips parted in anticipation. There were no prints by the edge of the water, though I knew that she lingered here. Her kind was vain. Pools were the perfect places to admire themselves.

Gentle tinkling grew closer as the bells ran. Owls hooted and fell quiet. Crickets crescendoed in song and grew silent with each toll of the silvery bells. A woman’s sweet voice silenced the wildlife. Her song was gentle and shallow, the kind of song only a princess would ever sing. Someone who had never felt the hardness of the world.

I stepped out of the clearing and ducked behind a tree, watching the fair woman walk. Torches were lit by the men who followed behind her, horses nickering and skittish. The smell of their prey excited them, making their skin quiver and their ears perk forward. The knights struggled to control their mounts. With every step they hesitated, turning to manage the great beasts.

The woman strode with confidence, a golden bridle with the little silver bells in her hand. She shook it loudly while singing her song. I pursed my lips and shook my head at the bold idiocy of mortals. As though being loud and awkward would lure in an immortal creature. 

Yet there she was, liquid light in the darkness, hiding in the shadows just beyond the torchlight. In mocking grace and playful dancing, she wandered ever nearer the human party, ears perked forward in curiosity. As I watched her prancing along the wooden paths only she could see, she was a creature of singular beauty. The moonlight touched her coat, making her glow she was so white. 

The unicorn slid closer, moving like a shadow on the sea. I tilted my head and inhaled to let her know I was nearby. Her head turned, glancing back at me with clear blue eyes. We watched each other in the moonlight, one immortal to another, a playful smile on my lips as the girl sang her song just behind us.

Her ear twitched at the song. In a soft and sweet voice, she spoke, head turning back to the ruckus going on in her woods, “What is it do you think they are trying to achieve?”

“They say you’re drawn to virgins, silver, and bells. She must be very boring.”

I didn’t know unicorns could laugh. But a strange horse-like snicker and human giggle came from her delicate frame. The lion-like tail swished behind her, moving as though of its own accord. The great horn shone in the dark, moths dancing about it attracted to the low light. 

“I think,” I continued, “That you find it curious enough to get just close enough… they might see you. Or worse.”

A haughty expression showed on the goatish face. She turned, walking away from the mortals and back towards the clearing where her pond rested. I followed, leaving footprints where she didn’t. 

“I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Yes, you did,” the unicorn replied, eyes staring at me without hesitation.

I shrugged. “When’s the last time someone mocked you?”

A long silence sat between us. She finally snorted and turned her head to the side. “What do you want? Or did you come here just to mock me?”

The scent of lilac lingered in the air, clinging to her as it did to the flowers that lined her woods. “I had heard you were lonely.”

Her tail flicked again. “Unicorns do not get lonely.”

“You’re immortal and solitary.”

“And?”

“You watch things grow, mate, birth, and die. That’s… hard… to do alone.”

The unicorn turned, finally looking at me straight on. Her head lowered gently, as though she wished for me to touch her. 

“May I?” I asked.

She gave a hint of a nod. I moved my hands forward, touching the silken fur on her head, fingers caressing the smooth shell texture of the base of her horn. She went still beneath my hands, so long it had been since someone had ever touched her. Then came a tremble as my hands moved over her ears, stroking the long thin flesh and down her neck. 

Her mane was as soft as silk, fine and delicate. My fingers ran through its inhumane silken strands. They glowed in the low light, opalescence and nearly blue-white. Her body swayed, moving to meet my touch in gentle rubs and shivers. I moved down her neck to the narrow shoulders. 

She wasn’t a horse with a horn. Her body was slender and delicate and filled with a different kind of grace than any other creature. There was beauty in every angle, with strange slenderness that would have been awkward on any other creature. Her white hair shimmered as my fingers ran through it, over the arch of her back, across her withers, and to the angular hips.

The tail moved as a cat’s would, seemingly with a mind of its own. It flicked back and forth, sometimes brushing my leg or hip now and then as my hands worked her body, massaging and caressing, letting her remember what it was like to be so touched and desired. I lowered my face down, planting small kisses along her back and shoulders, each touch made in reverence to the creature she was.

“Do you want more?” I murmured against her hair, glancing upward to the silhouette of her horn and face. The moonlight bathed her and it caught my breath, too beautiful to behold.

“I do,” she finally admitted after a prolonged silence. Her body moved, pushing her backside against me. The tail shifted, offering me access that I had not expected. My eyes widened, just enough for the surprise to show. I could have sworn the unicorn smirked.

I lowered myself down, kneeling behind her. My lips parted, tongue lashing out to tease the delicate flesh of her opening. Pale pink met my tongue and she shivered again, giving the faintest of whinnies while the girl still sang in the dark woods, bells ringing in the faint distance. I lapped at her opening, teasing the folds of flesh and diving into the depths one stroke at a time.

My tongue found the sweet bit of flesh that drove her wild. The hoofs stamped, tail flicked, and body quivered at my dancing tongue. With each moment she grew more restless, moving against me and forward. I held to her, unrelenting in my attention as the mare released a silvery sound of lust that hung in the air, silencing the bells and the song.

Her body shuddered as I stood, keeping her backend pressed against me. My fingers played with the folds, opening them to slide inward. The unicorn’s ears twitched towards the sounds of the distantly approaching humans. I ran my nails down her back, pulling her back to me, before pushing another finger in and then another.

The beast cried out again, snorting out air she didn’t need to breathe. I shifted, pushing my thumb in and then sliding forward until my hand moved inside of her entirely. Within, I balled my hand, forming a fist. Slowly I pulled back, nearly pulling out of her, before pushing forward and deeper. 

My arm thrust inward, building speed and moment, moving harder than I would have with any mortal woman. The unicorn made a gasping sound of joy as she planted her hoofs down, anchoring herself so that I slammed into her with my fist. We moved together, bodies weaving back and forth while she rode my arm, allowing me to go deeper with each passing moment.

Light threatened the edge of the clearing as the humans grew ever nearer. I could feel her hesitancy, the need to run away, tempered with the need to stay and to feel the ecstasy that was coursing through her. I pushed deeper again and harder, ramming my fist against her inside entrance. 

The beast trembled and shook, hoofs giving one last stamp before she cried out in a beautiful whinny. The muscles around my arm tensed, squeezing hard, keeping me clenched within her. The humans moved into the clearing, their princess leading the way, just as the unicorn turned to face me, my arm sliding out of her and coated in her fluids.

I caressed the hair that rested around her horn with my dry hand, gently and lovingly. “You should go,” I whispered, knowing it was just moments before the mortals would see her.

Her cheek touched mine, the most loving gesture she knew. “I will remember you.”

“And I you,” I whispered. 

She was gone in a flash, vanished into the deep woods around me. The scent of lilacs clung to me as I rolled my sleeve back down and turned to face the young woman who approached. 

“Have you seen a fabulous beast?” she asked, eyes wide with excitement. “We are here to capture it!”

I smiled. “You can’t. I already have.”

Phoenix

 

The temple stood tall and forgotten, rubble guarding the entrance against any who had once dared to plunder its depths. Firelight danced on the stone surface only to cast frightening shadows in a place that had once been sacred. The moon hung low as dawn dared to approach, the sun not yet cresting the horizon but brilliant pinks and light blues began to swallow the twilight sky.

Despite the garden being long dead, the air smelled of promise and roses. I set the torch in the aged holster and turned to face the rubble. My booted foot pushed against it to test the strength of the stone and wood’s entrenchment. It shifted. Enough that with time and effort I could clear a path within. 

Time was one of the few resources I didn’t have. My hands worked quickly, pulling up the stone that was loose and pushing aside that which couldn’t be lifted. Dust covered my hair and face, coated my clothing, and rose in the early morning air. Eventually, I was able to open a passage into the temple, enough for me to pass through… or something just slightly larger than myself.

I grabbed the torch and stepped inside. The weight of history and memory hung in the air as I wandered forward, tilting the torch into basins full of oil. They lit up immediately, illuminating the great temple in dancing orange hues. Low relief sculpt lined the walls, telling the same story a hundred ways with by the hands of different artists each time.

In the center of the temple, a great altar sat. Upon its surface lay ash and dust from years of abandonment. I touched the ash, rubbing it between my fingers, and raising a brow at the intense floral scent that still sat upon them. Even when burning flowers, the ash didn’t tend to stay scented. 

Pausing for a moment, I tucked some of the ash into a small satchel and then pushed the rest off of the altar. The last time something had been burned on it was a thousand years ago. That much time had caused the mortals near to forgot and leave this sacred place to rot. I blew dust off of the sacred carvings on the altar and lit the final braziers just as the light in the sky promised the arrival of the sun.

A great cry filled the air over the woods and nearby city. People awake looked to the sky, brows furrowed, as the sun began to crest over the horizon, spilling golden light into the city’s streets. A shimmering golden creature hung in the air, gliding through the dawn’s luminescence towards the narrow opening of the temple I stood in.

I watched, transfixed by the crimsons and ember hues that shone off of the great bird. She glittered in the sunlight, each feather seeming to be on fire from the way the colors danced within the sun’s rays. The world stopped, transfixed by her beauty, as the sun broke over the horizon and began its ascension into the sky.

What seemed like a small eternity passed as I stared at her, mesmerized, lost to her spell. Until I realized she was headed for where I stood. My eyes blinked as my mind caught up with the present moment and I turned, dousing the torch in a puddle that a caved-in ceiling had created. Smoke billowed upwards and then vanished just as the creature descended.

It was a rush of feathers and small whispering calls from outside the temple. I turned, seeing her standing there, larger than any land bird I had seen before. She stood taller than I was, great eyes peering at me from the side as her head tilted, investigating the opening she could fit through but would be trapped if danger lurked within.

“Wow,” I breathed, stunned at the sight of her. Up close she was all colors of fire, from the bright yellows to the deep crimsons of flame. Oranges and golds lined every feather, making her appear as a living embodiment of fire. In certain movements, she gleamed a bright yellow gold, the color of the sun, and caught my breath.

“Hail and welcome,” I finally murmured to her, gesturing in old ways that I could barely remember. I had never truly been in attendance at this ceremony, but I knew it from stories more than anything else. 

She blinked, eyes piercing mine for truth before she ruffled her wings and took one great step forward, crowding the opening I had made. Instinctively I moved back, leaving more space for her as she came inside. Feathers sprouted from the top of her head, giving her more height than was truly there, and crowning her with golden glory. 

I took a step to the side, gesturing to the grand altar that stood before us both. “Welcome to the temple of the sun. May the flames bring you from this life to the next.”

A strange trill rose from her and all of her feathers ruffled, standing on end to make her round and large. I paused, raising a brow at her form. The head tilted, from my face to my body, then back again. 

I blinked. “Well, no. I’m not a sun priest. But I thought it best someone met you here. No one should be alone when they die.”

The phoenix moved her head, touching my cheek with her soft face, long beak pressing against my shoulder. Her beak opened, gently gripping my shoulder as her tongue played along the fabric, testing and tasting who I was in her own way. The bird sneezed at the dust that covered me and released my shoulder but moved closer, lean body huddling against mine.

“Are you ready?” I asked her, raising a hand to caress the feathers of her shoulder. My nails gently moved on her neck, causing her to puff out where my hand was to meet my caress. The eyes slid shut, gentle and loving trust showing on her features.

One eye opened at the question. An elegant whistle came from the beak and she clicked, then ground her beak before stepping forward towards the altar. She moved faster than I did, long legs covering ground fast. Unlike most birds, she did hop or walk awkwardly. Everything she did was in beauty and grace.

Heat rose off of her body, like the kind from smoldering embers. It was comforting. The kind of heat that came from a home hearth in the early morning. I caressed her back and the heat intensified. Small bits of smoke began to billow off of her body, rising through the feathers to drift into the air. 

My brows furrowed while I caught up to her, seeing the skin beneath her feathers begin to flicker into flame itself, as though she were immolating from within. A reddish-gold light caught in her eyes when she turned her head back to me, waiting for me at her own altar. 

I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped and glanced around the scenes that played across the entirety of the temple. She watched me as I finally realized what they pictured each time. It had happened only a handful of times in humanity’s wake, but there was always someone here, someone to greet her… and someone to perish with her. 

She titled her head and touched her forehead to mine. Heat rolled off of her and began to caress my face and body. I shivered, breathing in the scent of roses and ash that emanated from her body. My hand rose, touching her cheek, trying not to grimace at the burning heat that rose from her skin and licked at my fingertips. 

“Of course,” I whispered against her feathers and then turned, facing the altar. I pulled myself up onto the large stone platform and stood, glancing down at the phoenix below. 

The phoenix shifted and rose. A great whooshing sound filled the temple as the tiny flames that had been moving beneath her skin erupted outward. Feathers burst into flame, bits of ash flew off of her, and she shimmered beside me, liquid heat that ate away at her while giving new life in its wake.

She stood beside me, fire and rebirth ignited into gently wafting feathers of flame. I shivered and felt the heat pour over me as she leaned down, touching my forehead with her beak. Her eyes stared into mine, just as alight as the rest of her body. The wings stretched outward, large and consuming before she flapped them, blowing wind and smoke through the temple. 

Sunlight poured inward, landing atop her through the opening. The phoenix cried out and flame exploded out of her. It engulfed me, swimming over my skin and burning away my clothing in one fateful burst. Heat seared my skin, penetrating beneath the flesh to the being within. I felt fire in my heart and gut, igniting my soul, and pouring through me as it reshaped the world around us.

The phoenix sang as her body became nothing but flame. I tilted my head, joining her song, moments of my life moving through my mind with each note that we sang. My arms rose as her wings did, liquid flame pouring out from the bones and skin as great fiery feathers. The scars on my body fell away, ash and dust in the wind. The pain of a thousand lives gave way to hundreds of lessons and memories of who I was and who I would become. The hate and anguish I held dulled, becoming hardened pieces of resilience and gentle spaces for new life and love. I fell to my knees before the phoenix, tears sliding from my eyes while my essence was burned and reborn.

My body quaked, the fire penetrating deep and thorough. It heated my core, sending shivering sensations through my body as waves of undulating pain and pleasure rose from within. As many memories of pain came every memory of pleasure, of moments of bliss and joy and ecstasy. The phoenix’s song changed, evolving into the rhythmical sounds of passion yet in beautiful bird song.

She bent to me, wrapping me within the fiery feathers of her wings, and pulled me against her ignited form. My voice changed, moving from singing to crying to screaming in exultation. I wrapped my arms around her, welcoming the bliss and ecstasy of transformation, of a body changing from what it was to what it was meant to me. Though my skin didn’t crack or blister, my hair did not ignite, within me everything was aflame.

A shuddering pressure pulsed through my core and outward, sending trembling bliss through me that made me collapse against the phoenix. Her body shuddered in response, giving one last fateful cry before the fire exploded, filling the temple and blinding me to what was happening. 

I opened my eyes when the licking flames died and a warm air remained behind. I felt the ashes before I saw them, coating my body and the altar. A rich smell of roses and birth, earthy and bloody, filled the air. Slowly I rose, careful not to disturb the fresh ashes that lay in a pile on the altar’s top.

Gently I moved some of the thick ash until the great egg was found, cracked as a small chirping sound came from within. The phoenix chick within paused, great amber eye staring at me through the small hole. We watched each other, new life to new life, reborn in our death.