Sins Of The Father
Chapter One: The Son Rises
The sun rose over a desolate mountain region. Within a cavern in the side of the largest peak, there roosted a small group of owls. They were the last remnants of the once mighty Pure Ones, an order of tyto owls dedicated to conquest, now reduced to hiding away in the middle of nowhere after a particularly crushing defeat delivered by their old enemies, the Guardians of Ga'Hoole; a defeat that included the death of their leader, Metal Beak (Or Kludd, as he was once known).
Their current leader, Nyra, was prowling through the cavern, looking for someone.
"Have either of you seen Nyroc?" She asked two of her underlings.
"I believe he went out for a flight a short while ago, mistress." One said. "He's probably on his way back right now."
Without another word, Nyra made her way to the cavern's mouth. Outside was a small, barren thicket.
"Nyroc!" Nyra bellowed. "Nyroc!"
A small object moved through the air nearby, rapidly growing in size as it approached the mountain. It was an adolescent barn owl. He joined Nyra at the cavern's edge.
"You called me, mother?" He asked.
"There you are, my little prince." Nyra smiled, stroking the underside of his beak with her talon.
Nyroc was the son of Nyra and Kludd, conceived a few days before Kludd's demise. He greatly resembled his father, from the days before he had suffered disfiguring burns to his face.
"The time is almost upon us, my boy." Nyra declared. "The moment I've been training you for. The mission of vengeance that has been your destiny, your birthright."
"It's really time?" Nyroc asked, a tone of savage glee in his voice.
"Yes." Nyra smiled proudly. "Time for you to avenge our order... and your dearly departed father. You do remember what I told you about him, don't you?"
"I do." Nyroc said sternly. "Father was a visionary who wished to bring order to the owl kingdoms. But he and the Pure Ones were stopped in their glorious task by the so-called Guardians of Ga'Hoole. And father was killed... by his own brother, Soren." The young owlet spat the name out like it was a curse.
"Perfectly correct." Nyra smiled. "He and the Guardians destroyed the Pure Ones, forced us to hide away in these caverns for years... But you, my son, shall be the instrument of our righteous vengeance! You will infiltrate the Guardians' headquarters, gain their trust, and destroy them from within!"
"I won't let you down, mother." Nyroc smiled. "They'll pay. They will all pay!"
"That's the spirit." Nyra smiled proudly. "Tomorrow, you will embark on your great mission. But now, it is time to sleep. You must be fit and alert for the task ahead of you."
"Yes, mother." Nyroc nodded.
As night fell, Nyra and her son flew up to a high ridge, which they had reserved as their personal roost. Laid against the wall was the helmet worn by Kludd when he took on the name of Metalbeak. Nyra had recovered the helmet after Kludd's death, she had often told Nyroc that she would pass it on to him, when she believed he was ready.
As mother and son curled up to sleep, Nyroc suffered from a vision, the same vision he had suffered on and off for years: A pair of glowing red eyes hovering in an infinite darkness, and a voice, so alien, yet somehow familar, urging him to pursue revenge on his enemies.
"Tomorrow, it finally begins." The voice hissed. "You will destroy Soren. Destroy all the Guardians!"
"I will." Nyroc thought. "I promise you, I will destroy them all!"
It was not only hatred that motivated Nyroc, but the thought that, once his mission was complete, this terrible voice that had haunted his dreams might finally leave him alone. It seemed to Nyroc that the voice's visitations were pointless; He felt he did not need to be told to destroy those whom he hated the most. Not that he would ever tell that to the horrific vision...
The eyes vanished, and Nyroc fell into unconsciousness. His final thought of the night was of how good it would feel to avenge his father's death, to administer vengeance upon the owl who had taken his father and his birthright from him before he was even hatched. As Nyroc slumbered, a sinister smile appeared on his beak.
To Be Continued...
(Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and all associated characters are the property of Kathryn Lansky, Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Pictures.)