CHAPTER TWO: LYZE HATCHES
Many years previously, in a hollow on Stormfast Island in the Everwinter Sea in the Northern Kingdoms was a single owl egg. Cracks began to appear in the egg. "It's hatching! It's hatching!" an owl cried. Lyze used his egg tooth to break loose from the egg. Eventually, the Screech owlet was totally free of the egg.
"Where's his parents? They should be here to name him." another owl said.
"He's the child of Ulfa and Rask. They are away leading the battle at the front."
"Poor dear. His brother Edvard was just killed on the front near dawn last night."
"What do you think Rask'd want us to name the fellow?"
"How about Lyze?"
"Sounds good."
"Is my niece or nephew hatching?"
"Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm his aunt, Hanja."
The hatchling Whiskered Screech looked around, trying to deduce what was going on around him. He hadn't yet made the connection that his brother had just died and that his parents were away and that his aunt was here. He had heard about them, yes, but he didn't yet have a sense of them as belonging to him in any way.
"Why are you here? Your arrival always brings bad luck. And it seems it has now, seeing as how we've just learned of Edvard's death."
"I want to see him new nephew. Is anything wrong with that?"
"Yeah, maybe he'll drop dead now that you're here."
"Oh stop it!" she said to the owl. She turned to look at Lyze. "Looks a bit small." she remarked.
"He'll grow bigger soon enough and be a great warrior for the Kielian League."
"What if I don't want to!" Lyze blurted out.
"What? The son of Rask and Ulfa not be a warrior in the Kelian League?" gasped three owls.
"Who are Rask and Ulfa? I don't see them here." Lyze asked.
"They're your parents, silly." replied his aunt Hanja.
"Why aren't they here? Do they not care about me?" Lyze asked, wondering why his parents would skip his hatching.
"They're off leading the war against the Ice Talon League."
"The who?"
"The Ice Talon League. Group of very twisted owls. They're led by a group of owls known as the Pure Ones. And their leader's name is Surtyr. He's also known as the Orphan Maker." said an owl.
"Why do they call him that?" Lyze asked."
"Because he's killed so many parents." his aunt replied. "And sometimes he takes the orphaned children and makes them into recruits for the Ice Talon League."
"That's awful." Lyze said. "Will he come and get me?" the young Whiskered Screech asked in concern.
"No, we're perfectly safe on Stormfast Island." an owl reassured him.
Back in the present, elderly Lyze sighed. "If only he'd been right."