The planet had finally fallen silent.

Fierce. That was what they had called the quadwing phoenix. Fierce.

Fierce flew in the quiet skies, its four wings masterfully cleaving the air as Fierce searched. The city was rubble, no people there. If there were people there, they would have chased away the drakes that had started claiming the territory. Fierce tried to do that job for the people, wherever they were.

It was fun to tease the drakes. Drakes were dumb. Fierce was smart. Fierce was quick. Fierce was fierce!

Rocs were dumb too, but the people had never been bothered by them, so when the giant birds descended from the mountains to investigate the quiet city, Fierce didn't care.

Spotting a jaculus scurrying around the ruins of the farm Fierce owned, Fierce called out a challenge. Fierce would not tolerate intruders, not even a jaculus! Especially not a people-eating jaculus! Fierce dive-bombed the reptile before it had a chance to take to the sky itself. Pinning the overgrown winged lizard's head, Fierce quickly nipped at the jaculus' eyes. Jumping back into the air, Fierce pestered the jaculus as it scuttled into the trees. Once Fierce was satisfied it had learnt its lesson, Fierce returned to its farm.

Still no people. Where were they?

The fields were overrun with wildflowers, as it always was after the first storm. That was days and days ago. People liked the wildflowers, and the small people would run among them on their clumsy legs, making that hideous noise that meant they were happy. Fierce liked the wildflowers too. Big bugs came for the wildflowers. Delicious, crunchy bugs. People made the happy noise when Fierce hopped trough the flowers looking for bugs.

Fierce jumped into a patch of flowers, setting pollen adrift in the air. Fierce jumped again. Again. Jump, jump, jump. No happy noises, no people. Fierce jumped and rolled and made Fierce look ridiculous. Still no people! Shaking off Fierce's feathers, pollen floating all around, Fierce launched back into the air.

Why had the sky exploded? Why had the world screamed? Where did the people go? Fierce had checked with the other phoenixes, no one knew where people were, no one's farms were alive. They'd all burned.

What were they to do?

Fierce started searching for the different people. The nice person, the running person, the grumpy person, and the leader person. Maybe they were still out here. Maybe they knew where Fierce's people had gone. Maybe they could bring them back!

Fierce searched for a very, very long time, and grew very, very sad. Fierce could not find them! Fierce got angry. Why would they leave! Fierce was very good! Fierce did its job! Fierce was smart! Handsome! Fierce! Fierce had found home for the different people, and they just ran off! Rude!

Fierce returned to Fierce's farm, to Fierce's favourite tree. It was a good tree. No leaves to be annoying. Good sightlines of Fierce's farm. Fierce wedged into a nice fork in the branches, tucked Fierce's head underwing, and sulked.

It rained again that night. It had been raining a lot. The air was wrong, and each time it rained it got less wrong. Fierce knew the planet was trying to fix the sky. Fierce wanted the planet to bring back the people.

The next day, Fierce set out over the mountains, going further than ever before, to find the people. Fierce found different quadwings there. They didn't own any people. How boring.

One followed Fierce as Fierce tried to search for the people. Annoying.

Annoying followed Fierce everywhere Fierce searched. Maybe Annoying was good company, but Fierce was busy. Annoying wanted to play, Annoying wanted Fierce's attention. Annoying was being very annoying!

But maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to play, Fierce decided as the days drew on. Fierce had still found no people. Fierce went back to Fierce's farm, and Annoying followed Fierce there. The people still hadn't returned, but now Fierce had a friend on the farm. When did Annoying become friend? Weird. Fierce hunted and played and slept with Annoying, and still Fierce waited. It was no bad thing to wait with a friend like Annoying.

Many, many days passed, the cold season came and went, and Fierce got a family. Fierce and Annoying had chicks, and Fierce was very proud. They were called Kind, Grump, Run, and Leader. Fierce and Annoying had beautiful chicks. Maybe people had left so they could have chicks. Maybe it was okay Fierce didn't have people anymore. Fierce had family.

Fierce's family ruled over the overgrown farm now, and they would forever. For Fierce's people, Fierce stayed and grew. Fierce thought they would be proud of that.

In the end, that was all Fierce needed.