Chapter I - The Cry of the Eagle
When Gil Sper was young a Talking Eagle saved his life. Nothing was ever the same after that. Indeed, his whole world began to change from that moment. One could say it became more colorful. Into his life was soon to come a white dragon; two white stallions, one of them with a brown mane; a yellow witch; a gray giant, green people; flames, fountains, flowers and fruits all the colors of the rainbow; a green mountain amongst white mountains; black bearded dwarves; a black forest; and a sparkling jewel encrusted golden knife.
It is difficult to say how young Gil was when it all started. They do not celebrate birthdays in the land of Wiros as you or I might. He had been going to school long enough to learn to read, write and do many things with numbers. He had studied the history of how his people had come from another world to this one and eventually to the land of Wiros. He enjoyed hearing stories of giants and talking animals told by his uncle before the fireplace at night and had always thought it would be wonderful if such things could be real. He was not as tall by several inches as he would become. His mother called him "her young man" but the men of Gil's village, Thulium, called him "boy."
When Gil was not in school he took the family's small flock of sheep to the high pastures above the village to graze. This gave the men in his family a chance to take care of other chores.
On this particular day his uncle was plowing on the family field that was downstream from Gil's village. His father had taken wool to market in a large town some distance away, called Wool Market Town. There was no feeling to warn Gil of the danger he would soon face.