Mandala Valley

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. When Mila looks up from her tea, she counts even more than the last time she checked, about three hours ago.

“This seems excessive,” she comments to herself. Dragons smell the smoke first, and it’s rare to see this many dragons together at the same time. She knows seeing six dragons is a sign something big is coming, even if she isn't sure what it is yet. Watching them soar through the air gracefully, the way they do so well, is one of her favorite pastimes.

-

“Is that..." a phoenix? She finished her thought in her head. Vanessa did not intend to say it out loud and was shocked to hear her voice asking the question. Is it burning?

Seeing a phoenix is rare, and seeing it in the process of rebirth is a grand experience. The phoenix flew out of her sight, and she wanted to follow it, but knew she was going to miss her deadline if she stayed much longer anyway, and began the trek back to the parking lot.

Shortly after relocating to Mandala Valley, during a particularly grueling day of unpacking, Vanessa decided to venture out and check out the local restaurants. She noticed a few trailhead signs while in exploring the area a few months back, and hasn't had time to explore any of the trails. Vanessa was often spontaneous, so she decided to do an impromptu hike when she passed the trailhead closest to her new house. The view on the summit was so clear she noticed there was a ring of mountains with a large valley in the middle and understood why it was called Mandala Valley. Formed by a group of mountains, the valley, if seen from a bird's eye view, looks like a mandala. However, a few mountains were arguably too small to qualify.

As the summer months rolled on, she had time to explore a handful of other mountains and got to know trails in the area. The hikers she crossed paths with on the trails are always willing to share the history of Mandala Valley, and she learned it was settled back in the 17th century. The history and tradition run deep, and everyone is very respectful of the valley and what it represents.

She loves hiking and would do it every day, but her schedule just does not allow for it. Vanessa decided that today she has just enough time between deadlines for a mini-adventure since she feels cooped up and knows that hiking always lifts her mood.

On one of her first hikes, Vanessa saw a dragon and began looking for them constantly, and began noticing a pattern. They arrive slowly and seem to stay in the valley for a few days. Then, one day, they are all gone. She doesn’t know what the dragons are doing there but enjoys watching them. They are so graceful and fast, faster than you would think.

-

The notice from the ranger the expected Phoenix is behind schedule sat on Mila's kitchen table as a daily reminder. It is a few months behind, but Mila isn’t worried about it because sometimes it takes longer than usual. Seeing the dragons here so early in the morning can only mean the phoenix will arrive soon.

Just before Mila drifted off to sleep last night, she caught the slightest wisp of smoke. She always did have this super-powered sense of smell, and she had a feeling she would see a sign of the phoenix before the end of the next day. Zaye reported to Mila at breakfast he could smell it too. It's close now.

This arrival is lingering, and she has a feeling it is going to be out of the ordinary. There are now ten dragons in the air and eleven more on the ground. Maybe there are dragons here from other regions. Dragons smell phoenix smoke the same way a shark smells blood in the ocean.

Rangers are rarely wrong about the timing of arrivals, but anything could potentially slow the journey. The phoenix may also be resisting the process, seeing as it is more than a month less. If it’s in the log, it’s guaranteed to happen. Fate ensures it. No one has control over when it happens, not even the Phoenix itself.

Every phoenix burns at its own rate, at its own time, and intensity, on a sort of spectrum. A phoenix burns and rises from the ashes for years, generations even. Then one day it happens. The phoenix has this sudden and natural urge and seeks out the valley, through no influence other than instinct.

The phoenix follows its instincts to find the valley, not knowing what is happening. As the Phoenix searches for safety, by an unknown force, it realizes at some point in the process this cycle is different than the others. The phoenix will burn to ashes, and something other than a phoenix emerges from the ashes. The valley is the safest place for the phoenix to enter its final stage of evolution.

“The ranger is right, this one is going to be out of the ordinary,” said Mila.

“It already is, you know? It’s smoldering in the air, it seems to be struggling with the process,” Zaye adds. “I’m sure you’re eager to get a feather.”

“Yes. I’m sorry if I’m acting off today.”

“I would be too. I can’t imagine you will have to wait more than a week. Who knows, it might be…”

Zaye is interrupted by the sight of a nearly charred phoenix feather as it slowly drifts down to the ground, landing about 50 feet from the house. Mila bolts out, grabs the feather, and carefully examines the calamus.

The calamus tells her everything she needs to know about the history of the phoenix that they will soon be meeting; the sex, the number of rebirths, the approximate time in this cycle, and some general aspects of their future. There is just a touch of dried blood right on the tip. It almost completely blends in with the char residue it is so dark.

“Come on girl, you’re circling because you’re scared. It’s time,” Mila said to the sky.

-

Vanessa can't get the phoenix off her mind. She is excited about making sure she has time tomorrow for another hike. The view from Daffodil Mountain is better and has a completely different perspective. She doesn’t want to miss the possibility of seeing the phoenix again. It has been a while since she had the time or the motivation to travel over to the other side of the valley. She was eager to find out what happened to the phoenix, or where it went, even if all she can see is just a trace of smoke somewhere.