Born Of Ashes

The First Burning

*A/N WARNING SHORT! (NOT REALLY A CHAPTER BUT APART OF STORY ANYWAY ;))

The First Burning

There is a bird that lays no eggs and has no young. It was here when the world began and is still living today, hidden deep within a human girl. It is the Phoenix, the bird of fire.

One day in the beginning of time, the sun looked upon a bird with shimmering feathers. They were scarlet and gold – bright and dazzling like the sun itself. The sun called out, “glorious Phoenix, you shall be my bird and live forever!”

The Phoenix was overjoyed to hear such words. She lifted its head and sang, “Sun glorious sun, I shall sing my song for you alone!” and so the Phoenix became the fire. The first Element.

But the Phoenix was not happy for long. Her feathers were far too beautiful. Men, women and children were always chasing her and trying to trap her. They wanted to have some of her beautiful, shinning feathers for themselves.

“I cannot live here,” thought the Phoenix so she flew away to the east, where the sun rises in the morning.

The phoenix flew for a long time, and then came to a far away, hidden desert where no humans lived. And there the phoenix remained in peace, flying freely and singing its songs of praise to the great Sun above.

Almost a hundred years passed. The phoenix still lived, but had grown old. She would often tire and had lost much of her strength. She couldn’t soar so high in the sky, nor fly as fast or far.

“I don’t want to live like this,” cried the Phoenix. “I want to be young and strong.”

So the Phoenix lifted her golden head and sang to the Sun for help, begging him to make her young again but he did not answer. Day after day, sun set after sun set the Phoenix sang. When the Sun did not answer she decided to return to where she lived in the beginning and ask him one more time.

She flew across the desert, over rolling hills, green valleys and high mountains. The journey was long and hard for the old Phoenix. On the way after resting the Phoenix collected herbs and spices, pieces of cinnamon bark and all kinds of fragrant leaves. She carried it away with her.

When at last she reached what was once her home she landed upon the tallest tree. At the top she began to build a nest with the herbs and spices. The she flew off and collected sharp-scented gum called myrrah, which she had seen oozing out of a nearby tree. The Phoenix fashioned an egg from the myrrah and carried it back to her nest.

Now everything was ready. She sat upon her nest and lifted her russet head and sang, “Sun, glorious sun, make me young and strong again!”

This time the Sun heard her song and swiftly chased the clouds from the sky and stilled the wind and shone down upon the tree with all his power. Everything hide from his power but the Phoenix, who sat upon her nest letting his rays shone upon her beautiful, shiny feathers.

Suddenly, a flash of light tore the pale blue sky apart and flames leaped out of the nest and the beautiful Phoenix became a big round blaze of raging fire.

After a while the flames died down but the tree stood tall, neither untouched nor as the nest burnt but the Phoenix was gone. In her place was a heap of silver ash glittering in the Sun’s rays.

The ash began to tremble and move. From under the ash there rose a small hand, tinted golden in the daylight. When the ash cleared a baby’s cry filled the air. Moment by moment she grew, until she was a beautiful woman with hair that flickered like fire and eyes glowing like the sun. She looked around, everything new to her human eyes she lifted her head, a smile playing on her lips as she sang, “Sun, glorious sun, I shall sing my song for you alone! Forever and ever!”

The Phoenix lives among us still in the heart of one human girl but every hundred years were she feels old and weak; she builds a fragrant nest on top of the tallest tree and sings to the sun. He burns her to ashes but each time she rises from the ash, fresh, new and young again.

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So I thought I would put in how Cinder became a girl from a bird. She was the first element to be made human; I’ll tell how the others came to be human in their own stories, well if you want to hear about theirs??

This is based off a real myth

Does anyone know any Myths on Water Spirits?