Story 179: The Guardian of the Sky

In the heart of the ancient forest, where the trees grew tall enough to touch the heavens, there was a legend of a creature feared and revered by all. They called him Kraath, the Sky Guardian, a being born from the union of the wind and the earth. His form was that of a warrior, with the head and wings of a falcon, his body covered in bronze feathers that gleamed under the sun, and eyes that burned with the fire of the sun’s core.

Kraath stood as the protector of the forest, a sacred place untouched by the hands of men. For centuries, his people, the Avians, lived in peace, high in the canopies, hidden from the prying eyes of those who sought to destroy nature for their gain. They were a proud and noble race, bound to the elements and devoted to the balance of life. Kraath, their leader, was the fiercest among them—an immortal being who had seen generations rise and fall.

But the peace they had known was now threatened.