Helena stood ready as a high-pitched bird cry caused the water to pull apart. A young and ethereal looking icy bird rising into the air. The slow ascent was the mark of a queen, rising above her subjects. A sort of blue energy surrounding the being of the bird making it hard to identify.
"Hurry the hell up." The ethereal bird let out a chirp as though responding.
"Ughhhh, that's a bad habit-" The bird flapped it's wings once before it was in front of the girl. It's beak long but the wings, feet, and torso looked a bit stubby.
Crushing the ice crystal while using the other hand to form a symbol, a majestic aura spread from her as well. The bird froze as it's long beak was mere centimeters from piercing her forehead.
Bindings in the form of fishing line tethered the bird while a glow similar to her weighted nets lit up in the bird's stomach. It became sluggish as it's radiance started to disappear.
"Hear me cry bird of wonder, Heron of Ice, I challenge you to honorary combat." A loud cry of response met the declaration.
The two's eyes became slightly dull as the two appeared in a frozen tundra. However instead of a heron and a human. It was a crane and heron.
Both of them clothed in the power of ice, blue eyes staring back at one another before the two attacked.
Wasting no time, Helena unleashed a heavy claw slam.
"Mother Crane's stomp"
"Crane's Ward"
Fighting against the heron, the crane zipped around while trying to use crushing attacks; a combination of strength and speed. The heron on the other hand used flexibility and short bursts of ice attacks.
Helena used a ward to defend against lances of ice along with small blizzards that would send her reeling back. Pushing herself, Helena shed no words but showed her ruthless baring.
"Dance of the Crane, Double Loss."
Instead of attacking the Heron, she attacked both of her own wings. As blue blood disappeared into the snow, similar injuries appeared on the Heron. Both birds tumbled to the ground. After a moment, intense weakness spread from Helena's being.
"Not yet, I'm almost done."
Her form changing between human and crane before settling at crane. It was only a temporary loss of concentration but a set of claw ripped into the crane's back.
Helena's scream became a caw but her eyes stayed strong.
"Forbidden Oath, Flame of winter."
Claws now adorned with blue flames, Helena clawed forth. It was a visual mesh between brutality and beauty. The frozen surroundings being crushed as the two took turns to one up the other.
"Forbidden Oath, Claw of Madness"
Helena's blue pupils shrunk as her speed rose and her blue flamed claws cut open the heron's torso. With her hit landing successfully, she didn't stop. Claw after claw launched into the Heron before the Heron dropped.
It lay weak in the frozen tundra, blue blood pooling beneath it. Helena had gone back to her human form but this time scratches, and chunks of flesh missing.
Her left arm had stayed in the form of a crane's arm. Pain wrecking her mind but she stood tall. Blood poured from her mouth causing the various blues to now be intermingled with crimson.
"I Helena have bested the noble Heron of Ice in combat. Submit to me child of the ancient Ice Phoenix."
The heron weakly opened it's eyes as though acknowledging the loss. Finally, the two disappeared from the bridge of consciousness and fell down right next to one another. A pure white cacoon enveloped the two as they now lay sleep.
An aura that was both dangerous and calming kept any surrounding beasts away.