Round 2.

Fen look at fire. Something different.....Terra say Fen has to find crystal. Let fire guide Fen to crystal. How fire guide Fen? Fen look at fire more, but not see crystal. Fire not guiding.

But Fen feel need to move. Go--which way? Fire points! Long flame show way....point at sunrise. Fen go way fire point. Fen leap, fly. Fen flap wings, go to sunrise.

Fen not happy. Must go past Fen’s homenest to go where fire point. Fen stop, think. Not want go through homenest. Go around? But Fen feel fire not want go around. Fen go through. Fen fly again, fly past homenest. Hope nobird hear Fen.

Twobirds fly from homenest in tree. Fly down, laugh at Fen, make Fen land. Stand close by so Fen can’t fly away. Fen know birds. They Rill and Hin birds, bad phoenix. Not friend to Fen. Rill laugh, push Fen hard.

Rill say, "Where stupidbird go?"

"Fen not stupidbird!" Fen say.

Hin look mean. "Rill ask question. Fen answer question, shut beak."

Fen ruffles feathers and glares back at nastybirds. "Fen go where Fen want. Not have to tell two meanbirds."

Rill peck at Fen, but Fen move away. "Fen stupidbird. Not real phoenix. Real phoenix not play with fire!"

Fen angry. "Fen real phoenix! Fen--" Fen try and think name Terra call her, "Pyrokinetic."

Hin chirp. "That not real word."

"Is real word! IS!" Fen shriek. "Terra say Fen pyrokinetic. Terra smarter, better than two stupidbirds."

"Who Terra?" Rill ask.

Now Fen in trouble. Should not have got angry, said Terra name. Now twobirds never let Fen go. "Fen not tell. Terra like Fen. Terra goodperson. Terra Two-leg."

"Two-leg!" say Rill. Rill older, know more than Fen. Fen think she know what Two-leg is more than Fen. "Fen talk to Two-leg!"

Hin laugh at Fen. "Fen talk to Two-leg!"

"So?"

"Two-leg bad, stupidbird," say Rill. "Everybird know that. Fen not know, then not real bird!"

"Fen worm!" Hin shriek.

"And real bird eat worm," say Rill, snapping beak at Fen. Rill and Hin look mean, come at Fen. But Fen fight back. Fen snap beak at Rill, hurt Hin with talon and make him cry. Fen very angry. But meanbirds attack Fen, hurt. Fen not able to stop! Fen afraid.

Fen think of fire, with for fire. If Fen think fire sometime, fire come. So Fen think of fire, try make it come. And sudden fire in grass. Rill and Hin singe feathers, fly away. They hurt. Fen glad. Fen look at fire. It point again, toward sunrise. Fen tell fire go away. Then fly again for sunrise.

Fen wonder if crystal in sun. Sun is big fire, king of fire, so crystal be in sun? No, Fen not able to go sun, and Terra not tell Fen find crystal if not possible. So Fen fly more. Fen go far, very far. See field below fill with fire. But now Fen feel something. Must go in field. No! Fen burn up! But must go. Fen go down, land by field. Fen not feel good. Fen afraid again. But Fen close eyes, fly very fast into fire. Fen feel heat, but Fen fly so fast not be hurt. Fen go straight to middle, open eyes. Still fly, Fen see crystal on ground, grab crystal in talon, fly out of fire.

Fen very happy! Fen feel crystal talk.

--Good job, phoenix. Now it is time to do some real work.--

"What real work?" Fen say. Fen know power of crystal now inside. Fen control fire! Forever!

--You’ll see, youngling. You’ll see.--