Rex

Artwork by @snoillustrations

**Rex** is a male phoenix, and is the bondmate of Tristan. He is an important character of *Crown of Feathers*. He is at least five years old, as of Heart of Flames. Nothing is known about his family. He is described to be calm and self-assured, a contrast to his bondmate. He is proud and boastful, but he is also supportive. He's known to always protect Tristan, and is upset when is is unable to. He's observant, knowing the way Tristan is affected by relationships, or knowing when to change speed during flight. He's playful, as seen between the actions of him and Xephyra, who he is implied to be in love with.

* The Books
* The Webtoon

## Appearance

Like all phoenixes, Rex's feathers are filled with reds and oranges like the flames. There doesn't seem to be any significant aspects about his appearance.

## Personality

Rex is described to be a balance to his bondmate, Tristan. He is generally calm and self-assured, but that doesn't mean he's always level-headed. As Veronyka had noticed, he also has his wild side that will come out every so often. When Tristan was captured at the end of *Heart of Flames*, he was overwhelmed with rage as he wanted to get Tristan back. It took a lot of effort from Veronyka to convince him to keep that rage and save it for later.

## Biography

### **Pre-Series**

His egg was passed down through Tristan's family before being hatched by Tristan.
He was born in the Azurec's Eyrie, and was to be Tristan's bondmate. Tristan trains him, originally strictly, before they work to find a proper balance. He does his best to support Tristan despite his fear of fire, and when he gets overwhelmed due to his father.

### **Crown of Feathers**

Rex is introduced when Tristan is attempting to jump on to Rex while in full flame. He notices that Tristan is hesitating due to his fear, and attempts to slow down. However, Tristan doesn't jump. Two weeks later, they go on patrol, but both of them know that there are gaps in the surveillance. Without even needing a command from Tristan, he deviates a little of the path to cover more ground. They find someone walking, and meet Nyk. Nyk ends up accidentally embarrassing Tristan, which makes Tristan's (and by extension, Rex's) moods worse. Tristan performs an obstacle course, and it starts off well, but when Rex ignites (it was likely Tristan's order, because Rex would never intentionally scare Tristan like that), Tristan ends up faltering and losing control. Their bond is strong, but Tristan is still scared of fire.

When Nyk is tasked with joining Tristan in his training, it's tense. Rex goes through the obstacle course. But when Nyk tells Tristan that he's using his animage gift wrong, that he's being too harsh, Tristan thinks about how dogs and horses are just ordinary animals, that the dynamic was master and servant. How it was even like that with him and Rex. As Rex can is attuned to his thoughts, he does the mental equivalent of eye roll. Rex doesn't think the same way that Tristan does. He's not some wild animal that does someone's bidding. As Tristan continues on, Rex gets bored of it. He's amused when Nyk tries to teach him a lesson, because he knows Tristan needs it. When Nyk uses magic to communicate with him, Rex lets it happen. Then the inspection happens, and Rex is able to ignite without Tristan spiraling in fear- thanks to Nyk's mental safehouse trick.

Tristan decides to show Nyk the passages within the Eyrie, because he's curious to see it. Rex flies dramatically, to impress Nyk. Tristan knows he's just showing off, and the brief interaction shows how they know each other. When Nyk learns about the breeding cages, Tristan has Rex fly out to help cheer him up. Then Azurec's Day arrives, and Xephyra comes to the Eyrie. Commander Cassian tries to catch her, and Rex, along with the other phoenixes try and defend her, as they can't stand seeing a phoenix be attacked. But she does get captured, and put into the breeding enclosure. Nyk is tasked with helping with the breeding process, while Rex is supposed to be the one to mate with Xephyra. But Tristan stands his ground, so Rex doesn't have to.

A warning call is sounded as raiders arrive at a nearby village. Commander Cassian and his patrol go to check it out, leaving Tristan in charge. Then they learn that there are Empire soldiers heading straight for the Eyrie, and that they have to defend it. Tristan forces Rex and the other phoenixes to stay hidden so they wouldn't be put in danger, but when things start looking bleak,
(Any content canon to the webtoon goes here)