I can let the watercolored bois out

Four Symbols 1/4 - 玄武

Genbu is one of the shijin, or siling, which are important mythological figures in Taoism. Genbu is the guardian of the north. He is associated with the Chinese element of water, the season of winter and the color black. He is enshrined in the Genbu Shrine, north of Kyoto’s Imperial Palace.

He spans seven of the twenty-eight Chinese constellations, taking up one quarter of the entire sky. The constellation which makes up the snake’s neck is located in Sagittarius. The constellations which makes up the tortoise’s shell are located in Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pegasus. The constellations which make up the snake’s tail are located in Pegasus and Andromeda.

By default, yeah, they can be, especially since in the Four Symbols they represent summer and winter respectively, and could also tie them to sky and earth.

Only thing is, in my research of turtles and birds in Chinese culture and mythology, the only other animal relationship I found is them also tied to dragon. Like, Dragon and Turtle are also listed as rivals, with Turtle unable to reach the Dragon and the Dragon is unable to get past the Turtle's defense. Though it's a lesser known rival pair.

Have some OTGW doodles-