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"C'mon, Bahamut, we're going to be late for the ceremony!" Melchior yelled to him as they sped through the sky.
"I do not want to have to sit through another lecture from the Great Elder," Farrous added.
"Juth need t'fini breakfath firth," Bahamut garbled back to his friends, speech muffled by the chocobo leg hanging from his mouth.
It should have been an easy grab-and-go meal as they cruised over the plains. The rest of the chocobo was already in. Mostly. The torso had gotten stuck in his throat, leaving only two viable options: bash his head against a rock to force it the rest of the way or slow down enough to tilt his head backward and let gravity do the work. Not wanting to dirty his nicely cleaned scales from the morning's waterfall bath (his father would be furious), he opted for the latter.
One would think that possessing three eyes would have made Bahamut more aware of his surroundings.
But they would be wrong.
Something slammed into his side with enough force to launch the entire chocobo out of his mouth. The last thing he remembered was yellow feathers, then orange-red feathers, then the ground rushing up to meet him. Then nothing.
"Harpies' hairballs, Bahamut, did you just get taken out by a firebird?" Melchior cried, rushing through the trees in towards where he saw his friend plummet to the earth.
"He's probably unconscious," Farrous supplied from where she trailed behind him. "Anyone would be after a fall like that."
"There's no way, Bahamut's one of the strongest—" Melchior stopped short, causing Farrous to do a lumbering maneuver to avoid tripping over his tail.
On the ground, lay two much smaller creatures, pale and devoid of neither scales nor feathers. Patches of hair covered only a few places; sunrise gold on one and firelight-tinted amber on the other. Gangly limbs sprawled across long torsos as both lay in a heap of flesh and unawareness.
"Oh, high hells, he's a Shifter."
"They both are." Farrous sniffed both bodies in hopes that she'd catch a familiar scent. "Which one is Bahamut, do you think?"
"The dragon tribe typically shifts into a Dion so, hmm, maybe this one?" Melchior guessed, pointing to the one whose hair resembled a late autumn leaf.
"You do not know for certain?"
"I've never seen a human before!" Melchior cried. "It's been at least two millenia since the last dragon Shifter and I'm only three-hundred years old."
"Well, if the other is a firebird, they should both be at the Renewal Ceremony," Farrous considered.
"We definitely can't take them like this." Melchior complained. "Especially not Bahamut. You know what they'll do once it's revealed he can shift."
They both pictured the Sanctuary, its imposing structure towering high on the promontory over Barnabas Bay. The three of them would fly past it often, daring each other to get as close as they could. Originally, it was built as a place to house Shifters comfortably to live out the rest of their natural lives. But it ultimately was little more than a gilded cage to prevent any harm from coming to them. For if a Shifter was to come to an unfortunate end, the land of their birth would suffer for it.
"We cannot let that happen," Farrous declared. "Shifters were meant to be a trial from the gods to ensure we remained stalwart wardens of the land and its resources. Casting them aside proves none of that. Bahamut should be allowed to live as he chooses. And… I would miss him terribly."
"Well, we're doing a pretty awful job of it so far."
"We're also already late," Farrous pointed out. "We might as well stay with them until they wake. Hopefully they can shift back and we will all arrive together with apologies and a convincing lie."
Melchior settled down onto the ground. His chin sunk onto his crossed front legs with a dejected sigh. Farrous sat across from him, folding in her dusky, rust-tinted wings. She tilted her head at him.
"I'm gonna miss my chance to talk to Iaska at this rate," he grumbled.
Farrous huffed a snort. "Your flirting can wait. This is far more important. One of those Shifters is our best friend."
They sat in silence for several moments before the orange-haired Shifter stirred. Blue eyes blinked open, languid at first before quickening. They stared at the two dragons on either side of them warily.
"What happened?" they groaned, lifting their head. "Where am I? Who are you?"
Farrous snorted again. "This one is clearly not Bahamut."
Melchior lifted his head to regard them. "We were on our way to the Renewal Ceremony, but we stayed behind to look after you because of your… condition."
Their head fell back, eyes looking skyward. "I shifted again, didn't I?"
"You've done it before?!" Farrous asked.
"I—yes." they admitted, the common tongue sounding odd, sluggish coming from a human mouth. "Mother wanted to hide it, but we both knew it would be nearly impossible."
They attempted to sit up in fits and starts. Limbs flailed about uselessly, grabbing for purchase where they could. One made contact with the body beside them, providing just the shock necessary to propel them upright. They looked at the other Shifter, still unconscious on the ground.
"They are... like me?"
"Yes," Farrous supplied. "He is our friend, Bahamut. The two of you ran into each other earlier while flying and fell."
They reached out to touch Bahamut with their... claw? Leg? They brushed the hair out of his face. The movement flowed more evenly and gentle than their initial attempts upon waking.
"He is beautiful."
Melchior scoffed. "He's even more majestic in his dragon form," he boasted. "He even has three eyes."
"And what of you, little firebird? What do they call you?"
"Phoenix."
"Well, Phoenix, your secret remains safe with us. As you can see, we opted to stay here and watch over you and Bahamut instead of attending the Renewal Ceremony."
Phoenix's eyes and mouth opened wide. "Oh no, the ceremony! I was supposed to gather the flamespur for my tribe's offering."
Farrous looked around, spotting a recognizable shrub not far away. Getting up, she plodded over to it and grasped a sizeable branch in her mouth and pulled. One loud ripping sound later, she turned back to them triumphant. Vibrant red leaves poked out from between her pointed teeth as she made her way back.
"Thith enuff?" She mumbled between the branch and leaves before dropping them to the ground.
"Yes, oh, thank you," Phoenix gushed. "You have gone above and beyond for a mere firebird."
"Our lands are allied with both the lands of your kind and the rockmen. We are all equals," she reminded them. "That partnership is what the Renewal solidifies each solar cycle."
A moan from the other human halted their conversation. They all watched Bahamut struggle to open his (sadly only two) eyes, golden brown like chestnuts in the fall. He immediately recognized something was wrong as he peered up into two familiar faces. The third one was… less so, to say the least. But overall not unpleasant to look at.
"What is going o—" the sound of the wrong voice coming out of him put him further on alert. "Hells above, what is wrong with me?"
"You, my friend, are a Shifter. The first one in nearly two generations," Melchior said. "And this is Phoenix, they're a Shifter too. Obviously."
"Hello," Phoenix greeted him, his voice soft and plaintive.
Phoenix helped Bahamut sit up, shyly avoiding the gaping stares directed at them. Bahamut was helpless to look away, spellbound by the sight of a Shifter before him. The featherlight hair that wisped out from their head fluttered in the breeze. He swallowed hard.
"You are… a firebird?" he asked once staring was not enough. "Firebirds typically shift into a Joshua, do they not?"
He looked to his friends for confirmation. Unsure, Farrous had no answer to provide while Melchior made a dismissive gesture with one leg.
"You're the one who paid more attention to those old stories," he qualified. "You'd know better than either of us."
"We do," Phoenix interjected, blinking sun-kissed eyelashes at him. "You know your myths well."
"Bahamut, are you alright?" Farrous's voice filled with concern. "Your face is turning alarmingly red."
"I am fine… current circumstances not withstanding," he coughed. Dread then blew his eyes wide and pulled his features slack. "Oh no, they are going to commit me to the Sanctuary."
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Melchior proclaimed with a fierce growl, baring sharp, white teeth. "They'll have to go through us first."
"Oh, right! We should probably shift back," Phoenix suggested.
"You know how?"
"Phoenix here told us they've shifted before," Farrous explained.
Before he could protest, Phoenix grabbed his feet in theirs. Were they even feet? They had such an odd shape, long and dextrous and bearing five digits apiece. If they were, they lacked powerful talons. But, oh, they were warm.
"Close your eyes and recall your dragon form," Phoenix instructed in that too-soft tone of his. "Think of yourself as you should be."
He did as he was told, remembering scales of deep green that flashed gray like granite in the sun. Large, powerful wings built to take off with only a few beats and glide just as easily. Mighty claws to grasp prey and lift them off the ground with little effort. And his eye, his third eye that could see the song of the wind and the symphony of the water, adding vivid texture that rendered his world with an additional dimension.
An explosion of smoke and feathers engulfed their landing spot. Once it cleared, there stood Bahamut once more in all his glory, alongside an equally glorious firebird. Its crest and wings bore not just the orange-to-red flaming feathers of its kind. Interspersed between were feathers of cool green and blue that burned just as fiercely despite being the same colors as the ocean. A song came from it as well, though not from its throat. Bahamut's third eye saw the color of the sound that radiated from it, soft and warm and rare like a rainbow.
"Your friend was correct in his appraisal," Phoenix spoke, their voice now warbling as a firebird's should. "You are, indeed, majestic."
"I-I thank you," Bahamut stammered as he stared not for the first time that day. "You are… quite stunning yourself."
"Let's get going, you two," Melchior's voice broke their midst. "Unless you want to be even more late."
Phoenix's feathers ruffled with nervous energy. "Not at all! Let's make haste at once."
They arrived at the rocky plateau on the central border of the three tribal lands before the main part of the ceremony had started. As expected, their entrance was not without admonishment. It took a bit of explaining, and corroboration from Phoenix, to assure them that they were assisting with a most important tax. They'd run into Phoenix while they were carrying the flamespur for the ceremony and accidentally knocked it from his grasp. Taking responsibility for their actions, they doubled back to search the area together until they located more so that the ceremony could proceed without incident.
"They could have left me and continued on, but they stayed to help. It is in the spirit of the Renewal, is it not?" Phoenix chirped. "The tribes working together towards a common goal."
Their elders begrudgingly agreed.
After words were said and gifts exchanged, the three tribes went their separate ways once more. Vows to reconvene at the start of the next cycle were made and well-wishes bestowed to all. The tardy group of four lingered on the fringes, once again the last to proceed.
"I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Phoenix," Bahamut solemnly swore, kneeling on front legs before the firebird and lowering his head.
"I believe I owe you the same," Phoenix countered. "Though, if I were to request one thing…"
"Whatever it is, you shall have it."
"It would be prudent for us to remain associates," Phoenix proposed, his feathers taking on muted shades. "Knowing that we share the same circumstances, we could support one another, protect one another. I have studied the legends as thoroughly as I can. If any ill befalls you, Melchior and Farrous are welcome to seek my counsel at any time and I will come."
Bahamut considered this for a moment a deep breath shuddering his flanks.
"Would it not be better if we were partners?" he challenged. "Join me on excursions. Let us take to the skies together. If any ill befalls us, we will have each other for support. Farrous and Melchior will guard us both. As the Renewal litany goes, 'we would be more vulnerable apart than side by side.'"
Phoenix's feathers blazed with renewed energy. Their head lifted high and a trill left their beak. They surged forward to bump their forehead against Bahamut's, careful to avoid the spiny horns that protruded from his head.
"Partners it is, then."