The Chosen:
A Shrouded Destiny
It all starts with one good deed...
Some Info:
I have finally decided to make another Trilogy And Beyond Series just because I finally found inspiration for a novel that I can and will write as long as I possibly can. I aim for this story to be nearly as long as Cudabear's The Sun Chronicles Trilogy, where the first book of that is over a 150k words and 50+ chapters!
Summary:
Everyone wants to know what they were put on this Earth for, but not as much as Allard Goldbeak. All his life he kept wondering what he was meant to do, what he had promised his dying father to find. But as life lays downs the different paths for him to take, will he be able to follow the right one?
Disclaimer:
I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar. It belongs to Tom McGrath, Eric Daniels, DreamWorks Animation and Nickelodeon. I only own my own OCs.
Prologue:
The Promise
I stood by his deathbed, listening to him speak his last few words.
I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to let it all out. After my mother's death, I had become so fragile. I couldn't bear losing another, leaving me with nobody left to care about but myself. I didn't have any siblings to be with; my dad was the only one left besides me.
I was only twelve penguins years old, which was equivalent to six human years, and that ratio would only reverse when I reached the age of sixteen. Life had been rough for us, each day a struggle to survive in this icy wasteland we all came to know as Antarctica.
Life took a huge turn for us ever since the hunters started coming, bringing with them huge sticks called guns that shot pointy things that made anything it hit fall unconscious. They seem to want us penguins for a reason I will never fully understand, but one thing is for sure.
They never stop coming.
My family had to leave for fear that we would be next. Many of the penguins from our village were taken away so rapidly that in only four days, only half our village remained. Many wanted to leave, but the leader of the village insisted we should stay and fight. We didn't like that idea, so we decided to leave the next time the hunters came.
But that was a mistake. A huge mistake that sent us plummeting into depression and regret.
Everything was planned so perfectly, that it nothing should go wrong. But life gave us a punch in the face when one of the hunters spotted us leaving. My mom kept telling us to go without her, that she would keep them busy, but all it took was one shot of their guns and she fell unconscious right there and then.
We dragged her to a nearby cave and waited for the hunters to leave us be. We waited for that moment where her eyes would open again and we would see her jade green pupils smile back at us. We waited there for a hours and hours.
But it never came to greet us.
Devastated, we left her in the cave after mourning for who-knows-how-long and searched for another place to take refuge from the hunters' wrath, a place where we could try and recuperate. And now, here we are, sitting in a dank ice cave, me crying over my dad's last words. His time on this planet had come to an end.
He spoke to me with a whole-hearted voice, one that could sooth any soul who ever listened to it. It reminded me of my mom, which only added to the sadness that I felt inside me. I was so tempted to grab a nearby icicle and force it through my chest the second he leaves me in this cruel world just so I could join them in the paradise up above where all penguins who had passed on lived together in harmony.
Then, I felt it. It was near. It was finally time for him to go. I listened to him speak with all my heart as he breathed out his last few words.
"Son," he started. "I can't tell you...what you were meant to do...in this world. I know that now. I realize that this...is all up to you, Allard. What you are...is what you will become. Don't dwell on the past...because it had already happened...and you can't change that," he continued, forcing out all the sadness I felt as his life slowly drained away from his limp body.
He looked me straight in the eye, his sky blue eyes piercing through my own. "Promise me...that you will follow your heart. I don't care...which side, good or bad, you choose, cause I've been to both. I leave that choice...to you, because I know you'll make...the right one. Never give up son, because you...are a Goldbeak," He took my flipper in his own, temporarily stopping the flow of tears from my eyes.
"And I will always love you Allard."
"I love you too dad," I grabbed him in a great embrace, my salty tears staining his cold chest feathers. "And I p-promise you I'll follow my h-heart. I promise!" I swore, staggering between sobs. He returned the hug, wrapping his cold flippers around me. I didn't want to let go, not now, not ever.
The moment felt so solemn, yet so serene. So terrible, yet so peaceful. Like just for those few seconds a huge burden was off my shoulders. I felt mixed emotions, so many I could barely count them all. It was an explosion of feeling. He pulled away from the hug and reached behind him. He pulled out his favourite hunting knife.
"Here son, I want you...to have this," he told me as he passed me the knife. Its blade was made of carved stone and its handle was made of stone wrapped with brown cloth. Its sheath was made with the same brown cloth that was attached to another length of cloth to serve as a belt. Tied to the end of the handle were two black penguin feathers; my grandfather's and great-grandfather's feathers.
"My grandfather...gave this to my father...when he was ready...and then gave it to me...when I was ready, so now...I'm giving it to you." He plucked out one of his own black feathers and passed it to me as well. I didn't know how to feel at this, so I just gave him another hug, thanked him and promised to keep it with me as a reminder of him. I was just speechless as I cried over him. Then, it happened.
His grip around me loosened, and soon enough his flippers slid off my back ever so silently. One last breath escaped his beak, and his eyes shut. A subtle smile painted itself on his face as his pulse just stopped.
It was official. He was gone. I looked back at his peaceful and lifeless body, tears running down my wet face. My eyes were now swollen from crying over mom's death yesterday and now, my dad's passing. I felt drained, like nothing mattered anymore. I gave him one final kiss on the forehead before getting back on my feet.
"I promise I will find my purpose," I said to him, hoping his spirit could hear me. "I will do it for you, and for mom."
A/N: Hooray! Welcome everyone to the new Trilogy And Beyond Series that I will try to craft into a full-on novel just like Cudabear's! I have planned the Trilogy part, which is him finding his destiny, so three crazy stories of craziness! Sorry, but this time, no special guest appearances, just a few OCs of mine on a whirlwind adventure to find their true purpose.
BTW, the next few chapters will be more on my OC, Allard Goldbeak, but I assure you, the ever famous penguins will be shown later on, for a great reason. R&R!