Chapter Text
I was a simple person, living in a simple town. It was a small town, Foggy Mountains. I worked at a bakery/cafe and rode my bike to it every morning, passing by the small shops and still half asleep town. Every morning, I pass by a library with brick walls with moss growing on it. An older man works there, he sits on the bench in front of the library to watch the town before he has to open up shop.
I was, once again, following my routine. Waking up at 7:30am, get cleaned up and changed, then ride my bike down the cobblestone.
But, as I was getting ready, I found a brownish-white speckled feather on my kitchen counter. I didn't pay any attention to it, simply picking it up and tossing it out the front door as I walked out to get on my bike, uniform already on. It was a cool, crispy fall morning, the wind was blowing through my hair.
As I was riding down the short hill, I couldn't help but feel watched, but I guess it's normal with all the wildlife around the area. I still can't help but feel unsettled though.
The elderly library owner was sitting in his normal spot again, the bench infront of his library. This time, I stopped to say hello to him.
"Morning! See anything cool happen this morning?" I ask politely, "No," he simply replies, "I do think that the weather is nice though, but enough about me, how has your morning been, Rowen?"
"I'm doing fine, just following routine. My morning has been slightly weird though." I reply.
"How so?" He curiously asks. "Well, for starters, I found some type of feather on my kitchen counter, don't know how it got there. Then, as I was riding my bike, I felt like I was being watched" I reply, turning my head slightly to look behind me.
"What kind of feather if I may ask?"
"A barn owl I'm guessing, those things have creeped me out since I was a kid"
The man's eyes widen slightly, "Barn owl feather? And you say you feel watched? Oh no..."
"What?" I ask, concerned, "What's wrong?"
"Have you ever heard of the story 'Tyto Alba'? It's an old tale that's circulated within this town for decades" he says, I thought he was joking at first. Tyto Alba was simply just a story parents tell their children on occasions like Halloween, the story is quite literally what fueled my my fear for barn owls. But the pure fear in his eyes made me worry slightly.
Tyto Alba was a half human, half barn owl morph that wore a muddy, black raincoat. It had giant wings on its back, ones of a barn owl, and sharp fingers.
The story starts off with Tyto Alba choosing its prey to stalk for 6 months. First, you start seeing barn owl feathers in strange places during month one. Then, you feel like your constantly being watched during moth two. During month three, halfway through, you start seeing barn owl everywhere, and in rare occasions, a dead barn owl could fall dead from the sky infront of you at random. At month four, you start craving strange things, and your crave for meat is heightened, you crave things like mice, birds and large amounts of meat and flesh. When your at month five, you start seeing yellow, glowing eyes in the dark, ones that have a reddish tint to them. Some say this is because yellow and red symbolizes hunger. During month six, your last month, your senses are heightened, especially your hearing. You become paranoid. Some spiral into insanity before Tyto Alba can get to them, killing themselves out of pure fear of dying in a morbid way. But, if Tyto Alba does get to you, well...you're eaten, either in your own home, or, it takes you to it's nest, high up in the mountains to feast on you. But, sometimes, on very rare occasions, Tyto Alba decides to keep you as an apprentice. If it finds you interesting enough, you are given the choice to, one, be eaten, or two, leave your old life behind and help it find more victims that intrigue you. You then have to wear a necklace with a metal feather charm, bounding you physically to Tyto Alba, and then, it scratches the top and palm of your dominant hand, bounding you mentally.
"Yeah, I've heard the story as a kid. But it's just a story, plus, I'm sure I just left my windows open, that's probably how the feather got in." I look back at him, uncomfort clear in my posture and eyes.
"My friend, please listen to me! Before it's too late!" He hurriedly responds, his voice shaking.
I get back to my bike, "Sorry- sorry...I have to get to work! Another time maybe?" I say, riding back down the cobblestone sidewalk to the cafe.