The morning sun crested with a bright flare of light and warmth over the mountains, gilding the mist with a shimmer of gold as it began to dissipate. The trees surrounding the lake bowed low, their leaves weighed down with dew. The lake, as always, reflected the sky so perfectly it was hard to tell where it ended and water began. No creature interrupted the surface of the water, nor did any breeze create small waves.
From above, a gleaming form approached. Not the sun, but something born to reflect it.
Pavonine arrived just after the sun.
He descended in a sweeping spiral, wings outstretched, catching the early sunlight on every delicate, iridescent feather. The hues shifted, sapphire flickering at the edges with aqua, green teasing a flash of yellow. He didn’t so much land as he did float down to rest. Letting his paws barely touch the smooth stone that jutted from the lake’s centre. The ripple he caused was minimal, as if the water itself respected the sanctity of his arrival.
He stood there in the stillness. Regal. Radiant. Alone.
He stared into the lake and whispered: “Undefeated.”
The lake mirrored him perfectly. His crest, fluffed so it flowed back over the top of his head. The curve of his tail feathers, immaculate and dramatic.
"Perfection," he purred, silky tone melting the silence. "A stage fit for a solo."
Pavonine had made a habit of this. Appearing suddenly in sacred or scenic places, declaring himself the victor of a contest no one else had agreed to, picking fights with anyone who looked as if they may be able to be coerced into anger with a few sharp words, before vanishing again. He sought out challenge and glory like a connoisseur of conflict, but always alone. He preferred it that way. No other Guardian had ever been able to match his perfection, no matter how hard they tried.
Sometimes, for a creature who bathed in adoration, the silence could become a little too loud.
He spread his wings slowly, stepped into a poised stretch, tail flowing behind him. The world held its breath with him, wrapped in the ritual of morning brilliance. Somewhere in the high trees, a bird chirped once, as if to applaud. Pavonine was pretty sure that was the case at least.
He turned, eyes to the sky, ready to create a dazzling performance. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a blur moving through the trees.
At last, a challenger.He arrived like a meteorite. The stranger didn’t so much land as
crash, tumbling into the sand in a cloud of feathers, dust, and fur. Ripples raced across the pristine lake, small waves lapping against the rock Pavonine was poised on. This was certainly the most dramatic entrance a challenger had ever made.
Pavonine blinked, aghast. “Darling. Are you quite...
Alright?”
Anemone flounced upright, posed with one paw in the air, chest puffed out, tail curled into a flourish of fur, leaves and tufts of grass. His eyes sparkled to the beat of his very loud, very bold, very sand-coated presence.
“I’m here to challenge you,” He said simply, eyes gleaming.
Pavonine narrowed his eyes. “You’re… covered in sand.”
"Yes," Anemone said, staring across the settling surface of the lake at Pavonine's perch. "-And I am here to challenge you."
"This lake is a sacred place, I'm sure you've heard. A temple of poise, elegance, restraint.” Pavonine said.
Anemone dipped his paw into the water, flicking an ark of droplets towards Pavonine in a display that could only be called childish.
"Oh,
you little-"
Anemone exploded upward from the sandy shore, sending sand everywhere. “Come on, let’s see what you’ve got!”
Never one to keep a challenger waiting, Pavonine launched into a graceful arc, looping across the sky in dignified spirals. He hummed as he flew, the wind a symphony of his own making. With every roll and pivot, he radiated perfection.
Anemone? He bounced. Flung Himself. Cackled mid-loop and accidentally invented a new aerial move that mostly consisted of falling. He offered commentary mid-flight, prattling some nonsense about how Pavonine's feathers reminded him of some fish's scales that he'd once eaten.
A fish? Pavonine was pretty sure he'd never been more insulted in his life.
It was chaos.
Something that Pavonine was
certainly not used to. He was used to challengers matching the arcs he flew across the sky, to trading calculated hits back and forth, to the other guardian having some semblance of
grace.
Anemone dove like a meteor and rebounded like a rubber ball. He skidded off air currents, kicked dust from the rocks, and somersaulted so many times he forgot which way was up. Nothing about him was
graceful.
Feathers flew. Water sprayed. Pavonine, confused, flustered, but determined, tried to outshine him with calculated brilliance.
What was most astounding was that Anemone had not brought an entourage, no other guardians to cheer him on. More importantly, no other guardians for Pavonine to dazzle.
Anemone blasted out of a spin that was as wobbly as it was impressive, threw his wings out wide, and said, breathlessly, “This one’s for the finale.”
Then he collided with Pavonine mid-swoop, sending both of them into the lake with a tremendous splash that sent a wave of mist over the treetops.
When he emerged, dripping and stunned, Anemone was already on the central stone, preening casually, tufts of damp sand still clinging to his fur.
Pavonine stared, soaked and sputtering.
“…You- you- you-,” he murmured, horrified.
“Undefeated? It is not a good title for you anymore. What should we call you?” Anemone mused. "Defeated?"
For once, Pavonine didn’t have anything to say. He wasn't sure he could say anything nice.
Instead, he stared down at their reflections in the water. One pristine, the other wild, crooked and still covered in sand and let them sit side by side.
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