Bloodhawk

From the birth-egg, I have sought a way to set myself apart from my siblings. To be Someone rather than just another egg lost among the many. It wasn’t easy at first. In fact, it is partly because of an odd accident at that time I am in my current predicament.

Breaking free of my protective shell that day, I found myself cold and damp, shivering as if I had been born in the Frigid Floes of the Southern Icefield rather than the warmth of the Fishspine Reef. I tumbled forward, an awkward, gangly youth, finding my way into life, until I was traitorously tripped up. Or, so I thought! My vision, blurred from my waking as well as the bump on my head, I could only on the culprit before me: a soft, velvety piece of fabric, offering warmth and comfort. I nestled beneath its warmth and hunkered down to await the rest of my siblings’ arrivals.

I snoozed for a time, oblivious to anything but the solace my impromptu blanket provided. When next I woke, rested, alert and certainly steadier than before, I discovered I was alone. My nest lay empty, all eggs cracked and vacated. There were no signs either parent. Alarmed, I jumped to my feet, thinking to hurry outside and search! Alas, in my rush I tripped over the edge of my blanket, stumbling again. This time, however, I caught myself, and in the process scooped up said blanket.

Minutes passed. Hours. Days. I could not find them, and so far as I could tell, knew nothing of me! I searched every watery nook and cranny, but to no avail. After what felt like an eternity, and feeling rather low, I huddled alone beneath my blanket for a good sniffle.

But alone I was not! A voice called out to me from the shadows on shore. “Hello, is someone there?”

I squinted, searching the water’s edge, but saw no one. Allowing one last sniffle for good measure, I replied, “I cannot find my family!”

A movement, subtle and sure and about the same size as myself stepped into the light. In shades of white and tan, with the face and wings of an owl and the body of a cat, it asked, “How can they find what they cannot see?”

“Cannot see me?” Standing, I stumbled forward, tripping over a rock at the last moment and tumbling to the creature’s feet.

“Ah!” it breathed, eyes widening. “Now, I can see you! Hello, there, friend!”

I blinked, uncertain what game it was playing. “I have been here all along,” I insisted. I lifted the edge of my blanket to dry my face.

“What is … oh! You are one of the fortunate, I see!”

“I am?” Confused, I could not determine just how it could think this given my current circumstance.

“Do you know what it is you have there?” It nodded in a regal manner toward my blanket.

I pulled the blanket from my shoulders, my eyes trying to focus … only they wouldn’t. “What --?”

Clearly amused, the creature laughed gently. “A cloak of invisibility, my boy,” it told me with obvious respect and admiration. “Where did you find such a marvelous thing?”

I noticed as it spoke that my hands, lying under the material, were indeed gone from sight.
Startled, I jumped. The blanket landed on my foot. Before I could spook further, the owlcat rested its paw on my shoulder. “Relax, child, it will not harm you! It hides you from view!”

“H-hides me?” I looked over at the creature. “Is … is that why my family …” My voice trailed off as the thought of what must have happened dawned upon me. I felt another sniffle sneaking up on me.

“Now, now, lad, there is no reason for sorrow!” the creature said reassuringly. “Just think of all the good you can do with a garment like that!”

“L-like what?” I asked while staring at the barest hint of shimmering nothingness over my hands again.

The owlcat’s mouth curved into a knowing smile. “Why, there are all sorts of secrets out in the world to be found!” it said. “You may have noticed, the Tidelord blessed you with such bright colors. But with this – with this, you could get in and out of places without being seen at all in order to find them!”

For the first time since departing my birth-egg and being separated from my family, I felt as if maybe, just maybe, my misadventure might have had purpose. “Do you really think so?”

The owlcat nodded. “If you like, I can teach you all that I know. In the sky or on the ground, and certainly beneath your cloak, you will be invisible to all!”

Double ‘O’ Bloodhawk is my name, and finding secrets is no game.