A/N: Don't own anything. Intelligent Systems owns FE.
It wasn't often the hawk king was afraid. He had very little in the way to be afraid of. He was one of strongest in Tellius and, bar the other Laguz royalty, had no match. Beorc stood not a chance. Even though most beorc despised the Laguz with venomous animosity, especially now that their own had teamed up with them, even the hardiest soldier wouldn't dare stand against the ruler of Phoenicis.
But everything changed that day.
Zelgius was a fighter that not even Tibarn could push back, and that was saying wonders. Blow for blow, the armored beorc would match the talon strikes almost as naturally as he would with any man with a blade. His attacks were carefully calculated, aiming when the large bird had an opening from dive, or an accurate counterattack to beak thrust*. And despite being in armor, it was foolhardy for anyone to think he was encumbered by its weight. He was lithe in his movements, as if he were a bird laguz himself. His own small regiment of men that watched him looked on in awe. It was always a treat to see the famous Begnion general in battle, and seeing him against the hawk king was no exception.
Tibarn's own men, along with his eyes and ears Janaff and Ulki, were stiffly watching too. Their initial confidence had lowered when the first blow Tibarn delivered hadn't even made the beorc flinch.
At one point, Tibarn found one of his tail feathers cut by a whiffing blow from the man's sword, the bird giving a cry of surprise. Too close, thought a wincing Janaff as the king quickly shook it off. It was a miscalculation, but Janaff knew that sword was for hawk king's talons. And as grudgingly as he thought about it, he had to give Zelgius credit for precision of his strikes, even if he missed.
As if in a trade-off, Tibarn landed a slash on the man's cape, a visible gash on the ends. A gasp ran through the small group of beorc soldiers, and some smiles through the Bird Laguz. A small blow, but a blow regardless.
Zelgius briefly took a sideways glance at this, and made a sound that was both amused and impressed.
The bird king would smirk if he could.
Tibarn locked talons with Zelgius' sword once more, smoldering gold eyes meeting intense green. He had to hand it to him, Zelgius. It wasn't often someone pushed him, gave him a real challenge. If he weren't in such an important mission, he might've occupied the general's time a little more.
But that would have to wait, as Zelgius, for the first time in their duel, spoke with a calm too eerie for his liking, "I've stalled enough. If you care for your people, I suggest you head for Phoenicis."
Tibarn blinked, and actually reverted, almost as if he were to question Zelgius. The beorc made no move to attack him, nor did his body language betray his claim to say he was lying about his words. What would this beorc know...?
A growing knot of dread cut into his chest like fierce wind magic as the words finally registered in his mind, and he prayed to the Goddess it didn't show on his face.
Tibarn shifted and flew off for home in a flash of emerald feathers, screeching for the others to follow. The knot in his chest only grew stronger with each day and night, and he seriously thought he was going to suffocate before he got there.
It wasn't often the hawk king was afraid. But on the day he returned home, the first rays of dawn rising on his kingdom, he never felt more fear for his people than he had in his life.
*I know the hawks in-game usually use their talons as their main weapon, but I figured realistically speaking they might have used their beaks too, less often than the ravens of course.
~SRB