The room was brightly lit with chandeliers and candles. The ruler of the birds stood, covered in his red cloak. He was secretive. He never took it off. No one except his advisor, Ukavik, even knew his name.

He stared out the window, a hole in the stone the palace was made out of. The birds were no longer the beasts they had been when humans ruled, who only thought about food, water, and breeding.

Not since Ecneitnes. The strange thing that put higher thoughts into the birds' heads. What made humans run away, and eventually disappear.

The current King wasn't a very popular one. Not many liked him. Most labeled him as cruel. But other than that, he was mostly shrouded in mystery. Not like the Queen who ruled before him, who was loved by all.

He heard a footstep behind him and whipped around. A white stork stepped into the light nervously.

"Your highness. I have news..." He muttered.

"What is it now, Ukavik?" The King growled. "Something actually important?"

"Yes, my King." Ukavik answered. "A prophecy..."

"Oh, what did you dream about this time? Nightseekers coming back to rule again?" The King scoffed. An ecneitnes Bird's version of 'when pigs fly'.

"My King. 'The White Crow will kill the King.'" Ukavik mumbled.

The King stared at his advisor. "A crow." He started to laugh. He was laughing, but he was also fearful. "A defective one, even. Hilarious, my dear Ukavik."

Ukavik glanced from side to side. "I-"

"Alert all the birds, passerine, non passerine, to watch for a white crow." The King growled. "Who knows. Maybe, just maybe, this time your stupid prophecies will be true..."