Evermoor Imminent | An Evermoor Chronicles Fanfiction

Prologue: Oktakósia Chrónia

800 years ago...

High above the forests of Evermoor, an owl was flying.

It was a perfect day to be out exploring the world from high above the lazy town. No villagers trying to capture him or lock him back into his cage, no long, cold winter nights with nothing but feathers to keep himself warm, just beautiful sunny weather. The air was gentle, the wind was cool, and for once in his life, the snoot was content.

There was nothing like flying. Feeling the wind whipping against your wings and whooshing past into the trees below, the sun beating down tenderly against your back, it was enough to give one a new perspective on everything.

And a new perspective was exactly what he needed.

There was nothing wrong with the village. It was small, quaint, and really far behind on modern times, and the townsfolk treated it like he was a god. Not that he minded. He was one. Kind of. He liked the praise and adoration. He just wished someone would remember his name. For as long as it could remember, it had been snoot this and snoot that. No one knew what he really was, who he really was. Not for centuries.

But all of that was about to change because Otto was determined to prove himself to the town--and to his father. He would find a problem, solve it, and then, bam the egg would open and he would finally be free to go home. No more dreary countryside. No more insistent villagers pestering him about their everyday problems and tiny little complaints.

Just him and nature.

He was surprised at how elated that made him feel.

No one around. No one to bug him, to tell him what he had to do or what not to do. It was actually...wonderful...to be alone. He felt like he could fly forever. Over the hills, past the vast ocean, to a new land. A place of wonder and excitement. A place where he could truly feel at home.

But the sun was setting. He would need to return to the village soon. The townsfolk would realize he'd left and then they'd panic and make his cage even more difficult to break out of. Otto's father had punished him by sending him to protect the sniffling half-wits, and it was his responsibility to make sure they felt safe, no matter how much he hated the job. 

So, with a long sigh, he angled his wings and turned once more toward the dimming light of the candle-filled city. He would be back among them soon, once again confined to his golden bars. A petty restraint for a demigod, but yet, extremely successful. No one knew he was human. It was his advantage, his secret. And so long as he lived, no one would ever know the truth.

A golden light suddenly spiraled from the forest floor. Otto squawked, pitching his body sharply to the left to avoid the blast. He screamed as it clipped the end of his wing. Hot oozing pain rocketed through his veins and before he could stop himself, he spiraled toward the forest floor.

Just as he was about to hit the ground and snap every bone in his body, he morphed back into a human, tucking and rolling un-gracefully across the leafy dirt. He caught himself with an arm and nearly cried out as the pain exploded through his wrist. Propelled by the leftover momentum, he dropped to his knees, heaving, feeling his entire form quaking with fear and adrenaline.

What was that?

Footsteps.

His head shot up abruptly at the resounding snap of a branch from the nearby forest floor,  muffled against the sounds of leaves smashed beneath heavy boots.

Someone was coming his way. Fast.

Panic erupted inside of the snoot. If he were spotted out here...someone would know. Someone must have seen him fall. Fortunately, probably still as a bird, but still, they couldn't be allowed to see him. Not like this. Not human.