16 The King Sings (1/2)

Sleeping in long grass, in balmy weather, was surprisingly comfortable. Nelda awoke suddenly to a sound like a car crash being simulated by a 1980's synthesizer, with the volume of a Boeing taking off.

A nearby centaur matron reared up her head.”Fuck me, the Phoenix King at this hour of the morning?”

[Bestiary entry #5: Phoenix, (king thereof).Not good at karaoke.]

Nobody seemed to be scared or panicked, just very, very annoyed and highly motivated to get back to sleeping in.Nelda brushed grass off her clothing, winced, put her fingers in her ears, and went to investigate.

A few centaurs were dashing in the direction of the sound and gathering around one of the campfires.Drawing close, Nelda saw some kind of creature was sitting actually in the low flames of the fire.Wiggling its ass into the embers and knocking flaming sticks in all directions.

It was a bird, rather like those big Australian parrots with the yellow crest, but appended to its wiggling was a long peacock-like tail. At first its feathers seemed to be iridescent, but the more she looked the more it seemed like the were actually made of metal, in tones of red and brown. [But no metal I know of comes in those colors.]

Notably, balanced somewhat precariously on it's head was a miniature crown with the spikes coming up from the coronet bending down into the center and supporting a large red stone.

The Phoenix King turned its head and fixed one of its eyes on Nelda and bobbed its head.

[No binocular vision for the Phoenix King.]

It then began to 'sing' again with renewed vigor.The centaurs were immediately motivated to do whatever it might take to get it to stop. She could make out their words in snatches between the sound like a cathedral-sized church organ being slowly murdered by a boa constrictor.

”What does the Phoenix King want…”

”…give it whatever it wants.”

”It's looking at the hand-hoof woman….”

Freyason trotted up.”Well, I guess the Phoenix King is taking you see the Gryphon!” He started to push her along out of the valley.

”But how long will that take?I need food, and a blanket, and my shoes!”

All of these things appeared in short order.A growing crowd of centaurs sent her and the satyrs on their way.

#

”Are sure we are meant to be following this bird?” HoneyBeard asked, again.

”That's want the centaurs said.”

”I ask because we have walked through here before.”