-- Noon; West of Pirate's Island --

Morning Land was soon to be devoured from all sides.

This thought troubled the gray rooster teen. Menie-Funie himself had chosen him to protect Morning Land from imminent disaster, but the rooster was armed with no further knowledge. When would the Crows come? What could he possibly do about it?

The crystal waters of the Silent Sea lapped gently at his talons as he watched other Chickens his age and younger play in the shallows. None of them knew that soon this peace would be ripped away from them, peace they'd had since the making of the Second Wish.

How long is soon? The Chicken wondered. He gazed at the horizon, deep in thought. The clear sky and the calm ocean were separated by a thin, black line... Wait, a black line? What is that?

The line on the horizon grew slowly at first, but the rooster noticed it was accelerating. His heart pounded in his chest. Something wasn't right. A noise, faint at first, grew loud enough for him to hear. The sound was completely alien to him. It was low pitched and scratchy, being repeated and echoed countless times. The noises blended together into a cacophony of dread.

Soon was now.

"Everyone, flee to your Elder! The Crows are attacking!" His panicked call was shrill, making the playing Chickens stop and stare at him. The Crows covered half the sky now, their caws like daggers of ice in everyone's hearts. The rooster jumped and flapped his wings in a frenzy. "Dark Raven has returned!"

Many of the Chickens screamed and ran, but a few were frozen in place, beaks agape at the sight of the monsters they thought existed only in myth. Those who were too slow were knocked down by the stampede of evacuating chicks. The rooster grabbed a feeble chick's hand and hauled him off the ground. He ran with the chick under his wing, looking over his shoulder at the chaos.

Now, two adult hens and a member of the Clippen Clan had arrived and were fending off some of the Crows. He saw one of the paralyzed Chickens get surrounded by half a dozen of the monsters. One of the hens saved him and called, "Heed the words of our Sacred One! Alert and protect the Elders!"

Before he could open his beak to warn the trio that had come to their aid, the three adults were surrounded by gigantic beasts. He remembered that the sole reason for him being sent to the Surface as a hatchling was to prepare the world for this day.

Despite being raised knowing of that fact, the blood-curdling screams of the hens as they were slain would forever haunt him.