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Xirena stood at the base of the large tree that was about 50 meters away from her cabin that was deep within the forests. Listening carefully, she knelt by the base of the tree to start tracking the prints left by one of the local animals that was safe to eat. Xirena followed the trail for quite some time until she sighted the animal about a kilometer away. She grabbed her bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver. She stood with her right foot back and her left foot forward. Sighting the bow, she breathed in and out steadily. She waited until her sight was dead even with the kill area on the animal. She breathed out and released the string on her bow.

Xirena's strength was incredible, as it had been built up steadily over the years living in the wilderness, that her arrow pierced the hide of the animal perfectly and the animal keeled over where it stood. She placed the bow over her body so that it lay evenly with her quiver and ran to the animal. Her steps were light and quiet as her muscles bunched and released in the repetitive motion. She reached the animal quickly and removed the arrow from the hide, placing it back inside her quiver after wiping it off on her clothes. She bound the legs of the animal with twine and hoisted it on her shoulders.

Glancing for the position of the sun through thick canopy of trees, she found the direction that would take her back to her cabin. The sun was still about mid sky, which meant she had plenty of time to skin the animal and have fresh meat for her dinner tonight. Because one could never be to careful with a fresh kill, she listened as she made her way back. Xirena didn't want her hardwork go to waste if a predator was nearby. All of a sudden, the forest went quiet. She went from a walk to a run as she sprinted back to her cabin. Silence was never a good thing.



She made it back to her cabin with little difficulty and was able to hang the animal up. The back of her neck was tingling, a sensation that had saved her lives many times before. She grabbed the small knife that was on her right hip and whirled around. She froze in a warrior stance and reached out with all her senses to determine what was watching her. Seeing nothing and hearing nothing, she returned to her task but continued to watch the forest around her.

She removed her outer shirt but left the bindings on her breasts in place and her pants on. She didn't mind scrubbing the blood out of those but tried to prevent blood covering her outer shirt as it was fur. Xirena took her knife and began to precisely cut the hide so the hide would simply pull away. The process of skinning the animal and cutting the meat took several hours that it was almost dusk when she finished. She stored the meat in an underground storage that would keep it cool and prevent it from spoiling.

She made her way into her humble cabin and began a fire in hearth of her cabin. She designed her cabin specifically so that the large cauldron that sat above the fire, would pour into a series of tubes that led to her indoor bath.She had built a separate basin that was on the other side of the hearth where a series of tubes allowed her to wash her clothes in hot water. She undressed and scrubbed her clothes clean before she cleaned herself in the bath. The hot water helped relax her muscles that had knotted with tension from the peculiar situation earlier. Xirena knew she couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary or heard anything unusual. She removed herself from the bath and stood in front of the fire to dry. She just couldn't figure it out.

Xirena finished drying herself in front of the fire. She checked to see if her clothes were close to being dry as they had sat long enough. Satisfied, she pulled on her pants and bound her breasts again. She grabbed the brush she used for her hair and began to smooth her long red hair. Lost in thought, she continued to puzzle out what had made the forest so silent. Her thoughts shifted from her current dilemma to her other half. I am an outsider even in the wilderness. Sometimes the predators living deep in the Forest feared me because they sensed the Phoenix and other times it was like I didn't even exist. I know i'm still young in shifter terms and haven't fully unlocked my powers. I hate being frustrated with the my inability to access my other form unless I feel threatened.

She finished brushing her hair and added more wood to the fire. It was well after dusk and started to lock her cabin down, pulling the sliding windows closed and latching the main door. All of a sudden the forest fell silent again. Xirena grabbed her bow and quiver as well as her knife. She stood relaxed yet on guard as she reached out with her senses yet again. It's the same silence as before she thought to herself. Waiting with bated breath, she tried to feel what was causing the silence in the Forest around her cabin.

Xirena felt the adrenaline race through her veins and she felt the Phoenix awaken in the back of her mind. She was surprised to hear a voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere considering her senses were extremely sharp. Walking forward, she unlatched the main door and found a being standing there. She backed away from the door to allow the stranger with immense power to enter her home.

The Phoenix was curious as well as she stirred in the back of Xirena's mind. The power emanating from the stranger beckoned her but also made her cautious. She felt no threat and so settled to wait to find out what the stranger wanted.

Xirena felt her vocal cords freeze. She hadn't seen another being years and so haven't felt the need to speak living in the Forest. It took her a moment to recall what to say to strangers.

"I know not what you mean by mortal" She stated. "Wait, that came out wrong. Let me try that again." She felt annoyed with herself. "My name is Xirena Apollymi Parthenoupous. Welcome to my humble abode." She said in a broken voice. She cleared her throat as she stared at the stranger. She couldn't seem to break her eyes away from the stranger.

"Others?" She asked incredulously."There are no others for well over a hundred kilometers. I live out here by myself." She stated. The more she spoke to the stranger, the more her voice smoothed out. She sheathed her knife back on her hip and stood there.

"If it's people you're looking for than I suggest you head to one of the other territories." Xirena sharply said. Turning around, she strode to the desk which was to the right of the small area where she prepared food. Muttering under her breath, "I'm sure I still have a map around here you overbearing, arrogant a**." She finally located the map she needed and laid it out in front of the hearth. She beckoned the stranger over to the map.

The power the spilled over from the tall individual strangely left her feeling energized and she couldn't understand why.

"I have no idea why I kept this Godsforsaken map but here are all the territories. We're here in the Northern Territory." She pointed out the territory on the map. As she pointed out the territory, the Phoenix moved into the forefront of her mind. The back of Xirena's neck tingled and she whirled around to face the stranger. Her flaming red hair fell to the left side of her face and fell past her breasts as she whirled.

"Don't just stand there looking like you're too high and mighty for everything in my house. If you don't like it, then leave." Xirena demanded. She stood with her right hand on her hip and her weight settled onto her left leg. She gripped her bow tightly with her left hand as she stared openly at the stranger.

"I don't actually know. Every race is different. My kind well, we're reborn so we don't ever truly die. Our body burns from the Phoenix flame so we never physically leave anything behind but dust." She answered honestly.

The power exuding from him intrigued her as well as made her wary. It just seemed to be never ending and the more power he let off, the more energized she felt. Xirena felt like she was invincible and that led her to forget a key rule of her people. The barrier in her mind that blocked her from the Phoenix seemed to weaken more and more.

She felt the Phoenix speak to her; Warning her of consuming too much power. Her skin felt tight and she felt like she was burning from the inside out. She had to get out. Gasping for breath, she ran from her cabin outside. Mentally cursing herself for forgetting the lessons she learned as a young child, she began to remove her binding and her pants. Leaving them strewn, she ran as far away from her cabin as she could. The power that she had drawn deep into her was beginning to make her feel like she was going to explode. She tried to lose herself in the repetitive motion of running, of trying to breath in and out.

Xirena could feel the man with the immense power staring at her. It spurred her even further. Finally unable to contain it anymore, she fell to the ground screaming in agony. Xirena exploded into a flash of light, feeling herself shifting into the Phoenix. "I tried to warn you, you foolish girl." The Phoenix spoke into Xirena's shaken mind. "Too consume that much power is to beg for death. I'm protecting you the only way I am able to. By forcing you to shift and expending the energy." The Phoenix softly stated.

They rose from the ground as one. Not fully human but not fully the Phoenix either. A unique blend of both. They flexed their wings and covered vital areas with the flame to protect them from staring eyes.

In an harsh voice, they called to the man. "We do not know why you have come or what your purpose is. The only thing we ask is to keep your power to yourself. If you are unable to do so, then the least you owe us is your name." Xirena and the Phoenix hovered above the ground, careful to burn the surrounding trees with their flame.

Xirena was in awe of the Phoenix, her other half. Most of the times when she shifted, she fell unconscious but she could see everything. Her senses were hundred times stronger. She could sense the dark energy that surrounded the man and wondered what his story was. However sensing the hostility emanating from the mysterious man prevented her from asking.

Xirena and The Pheonix spoke as one, "Is that right? Well, Witch King, if you're that powerful, shouldn't you be able to find the corpses on your own?" They laughed, "No? Then you're nothing more than a meat sack. Which if you continue to threaten me in my world, YOU WILL BURN" They screamed, taking to the sky. Their flames shot higher as Xirena shifted fully into the the Phoenix. She grew 3 times her current size and her wing span was expansive.

"I am the Phoenix and we bow to no one. Not even such a witch king and conqueror as yourself. In this world, you are nothing! A speck of dust in a vast world of nothingness." The Phoenix spoke directly into the man's mind, crumbling what little barriers there were. "If you wish us to work with you then learn some manners. Until then, I bid you adieu."

The Phoenix's enormous wing span allowed her to cover much ground that she soon left the man behind her. She flew for two reasons; One, to scout the Forest for a new lair and two, to show off. Why she felt the need to show off was for reasons unknown yet to her.

Xirena flew back to the Witch King and cocooned him in her wings, keeping his power trapped within to prevent it from destroying her world. Without the onslaught of power, the world slowly returned to its former glory, albeit a bit darker. She kept quiet, but allowed him to have his tantrum. to call it anything else would be a lie. Her flames soothed the darkness around him.

She waited until his power didn't overwhelm her to speak. "In the midst of your temper tantrum, you misunderstood me. I may bow to no one but that doesn't mean the rest of the world will not. But even then, I can not just allow you to destroy my world either." Xirena spoke soothingly into his mind.

Xirena shifted into her mortal form and sank to the ground, lightly touching down on her feet. The Phoenix settled into the back of her mind and the flames reduced to a small simmer in her veins. Since she had no clothes with her as they were all back at the cabin, she stood there basking in the moonlight. She let the energy from the moon soothe her before she spoke to the Witch King.

Speaking quietly, Xirena spoke in a smooth melodious tone, "Then we shall agree to disagree, Witch King. I can not let it be destroyed so your next best thing is to try to destroy me. Perhaps that will satisfy the blood thirst that haunts your soul, for it I die, I will be reborn. The world is not that lucky." She stood in front of Nezhar, her long flaming red hair covering her breasts and looked at him. She waited with bated breath to hear his response.