Beware the Hootroar…
“The scouts had brought in a hootroar. It was the apex manifestation of Twisted depravity. Thick, massive, and twice as tall as a shaper, with four powerful, tearing, bear-like arms, and a tufted, feathered head set with eyes of malice above a hooked, ripping beak, it was a fearsome thing.”
The Rise and Fall of the Red Queen, Part 2, Chapter 1: Take and Give
* * * * *
Of all of the twisted creatures that resulted from the Breaking of the Realm, the hootroar is among the most feared … and for good reason. Few have come up against one of these and have lived to tell the tale. Within the city of Masq, only Magnus Fleet is known to have survived an attack.
These days, hootroars live solitary lives. Most dwell alone in the dark valleys of the Broken Realm where the effects of the Twisting still linger. On the occasions when they take a mate, they develop a fierce attachment to their partner. The only thing more dangerous than a single hootroar is one that feels that its mate is threatened.
Fortunately, there aren’t many of these monsters left, as they don’t multiply in great numbers … unless bred. Legends still tell of the dark days during the Twisted Wars when entire regiments of hootroars were used as heavy cavalry within the Horde. The beasts were ridden hard and far. Their dark masters pitted their fur, feathers, and claws against the bright armor and lances of the stepper-mounted knights of the Alliance.
Memories recorded by the survivors of these desperate charges are still sung on long winter nights around many a campfire.
Hopefully, they are sung far, far away from the eerie, ululating, haunting call of a hunting hootroar.
For the Broken Realm is healing. But it is not healed yet.
Michael Somerville is the author of several short stories, as well as an in-progress high-fantasy series called the Tales of the Broken Realm. He loves telling stories of hope about ordinary characters doing their small part to help heal a broken world. By day, he pays the bills as a hands-on storyteller and project manager, leading and envisioning professional teams in the "real-world", even as he is busily building and illustrating imaginary worlds in his evenings and on the weekends.
Outside of work and writing, he enjoys a wide range of hobbies, including playing music with his family and friends on keyboard or guitar, drawing, sculpting, painting, sewing, and blacksmithing, or walking the length of the Appalachian Trail in his home neighborhood in the Shenandoah Valley, where he serves as a Board member on his local civic association.
Most important to Michael are his family and his church. Michael and Jessica celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2026 and are happily raising three wonderful daughters. He serves actively in his local church, playing music on Sunday, teaching the older elementary kids, and leading a small group of wonderful saints. He hopes to hear "Well done" one day, and plans to keep serving his true King until then.
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