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The Phoenixes of Ashburn Tundra
Upon the ground of the Arctic Circle,
Epoches of eons ago,
A vibrant land, once lively and mountainous
Had never been touched by snow
But one fateful day, a strange mountain arouse
Rugged with a large, seemingly endless gaping hole
It then soon alarmed and frightened the earth's creatures
When its once empty whole had begun to blow
Out from mountain's widened opening
a violent, golden red, scorching hot “water” flew up above
And flooded upon the once peaceful earth
Cremating every dying bush and drying shrub
Some creatures had managed to escape
While others perished to smoke
The mountain's ashes then breezed to the sky
And covered it like a parka coat
Lifeless, all the tundra seemed
Grey, dust-ridden, like dry arid sand
Till, out from the smoke clouds, arouse a giant beast
A dragon just as bleak and desolate as the land
His name was Hibirnis
Who had been born from the ashes
And raised by the darkness
within the clouds' patches
Though his eyes were sparkling, shimmering
A perfectly gorgeous, vibrant blue
His being was dull silver, sharply spiked,
threatening, and cruel
As this great dragon oversaw the land
From his godly perspective
He immediately felt grief
as by the land's lonely dullness, he was so darkly affected
Angered and saddened by the melancholy landscape,
Hibirnis lifted his timberwolf wings
And fanned out cold, bitter windstorms
As his blue eyes cried out snowflakes that were yet gentle and serene
All throughout the land, the snow had grown tall
Taller than any oak tree
As Hibirnis had unleashed an eternal winter
Leaving the tundra's creatures in misery
But, when all had seemed hopeless, something sprang up from the mountain
Which soon filled the animals with glee
In the form of flame lit eggs
Which soon hatched into fire birds, consisting of three:
The first born of the three, was large and mighty
And was likely stronger and wiser than the rest
But though his being was, mostly, orange feathers and flesh
Flames blazed from his great giant wings, tail, and crest
- and his name came to be known as Greatwing
Now the second one's body was quite unique
Composed of nothing but wisping, brilliant fire
And he had been blessed with glorious speed
That could light up a sky and burn any briar
- and his name came to be known as Rapid Fire
And last, but not least, there was the third bird
Whose nature was kind and mild
Though her being was all organic, not flame nor fire
Her glowing warmth could cover all the things in the wild
- and her name came to be known as Quetzal
Together, these great phoenixes flew out through the tundra
Gazing at the faint ash and piling snow
To search for the tyrant that was Hibirnis
Within the dark and endless cold
It would be four months before they had reached the mountain
Of Hibirnis's barren, snow-laden lair
They then entered into the icy cave
And there! Stood the almighty Hibirnis with his shining glare!
Enraged, Hibirnis charged at the phoenixes
With his spikes raised sharply in the air
But the fiery avians were quick to counter back
And unleashed a great, awe-burning blaze
Which had caused Hibirnis to become entrapped within it like a burning snare
As Hibirnis tried to escape the blaze
By unleashing a freezing ash
Rapid Fire swiftly went and stopped his move
By eliminating it with a flaming dash
Then Quetzal went to raise the fires
Until they were all non but smoke
And, finally, Greatwing raised himself over the ashes
and laid his body over Hibirnis like a coat
Now, with Hibirnis shut and trapped
Within his igneous tomb
The three birds went on to relieve the tundra
Of its glaciers and soot
Throughout the tundra, they resurrected the earth
Awakening its fauna and flora
As they melted the snow with their fire and feathers
and lit the sky like a sunset aurora
With the ashburnt tundra now calm and lively again
The phoenixes then proceeded
to guide its creatures and its nature
by bringing to it three seasons:
First, Greatwing brought upon the ground
Warmth with the blazing ends of his wings
and he ordered its shrubs and flowers to Spring
and prompted its creatures to breed
Three months later, Rapid Fire went on
To bring the mild Summer
By encircling his blazing, rapid body
Across the daily and nightly sun without a single slumber
And, finally, after Rapid Fire's task
Quetzal came to close it all
She told the earth's creatures to store and slumber
and led the plants to redden and Fall
- before Hibirnis would rise back up to exert his vengeance upon the land
Oh, Ashburn Tundra, unlike any other,
Once ruined by lava and covered in dust and snow
Prospers once again thanks to those three graceful birds
And bears four seasons, due so
Though this great tundra remains unseen and undiscovered
It shall be made well known
That the three brave phoenixes who had saved it from the ice age dragon
Is truly a legend to be told
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