Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.

A/N: Hello there! This is my first ever "fanfiction", so please forgive me as I try different techniques and aspects of writing throughout the course of the story. I have big plans for this story, so please, stay tuned for more chapters to come! Constructive feedback is greatly appreciated, and outtakes and feedback in general are all marvelous! I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading my story! P.S. I might change the timing of this first chapter depending on how I want the rest of the story to go, and characters who are tagged currently, but are not in the story, are characters who I plan to put into the story in the future. Stay tuned! ~Raph

20 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks…

Spring time on Terra Quies was always very pleasing to both villagers and animals alike. Crops flourished in the endless fields that numbered in the thousands, Quies-cows grazed on lush greenery with much content, and villagers strolled casually to-and-fro to complete their daily activities.

Much of the terra's prosperity was thanks to the sky knight squadron that protected it. The Swooping Sparrows Sky Knight Squadron guarded the terra that was relatively farther away compared to other terras that were involved in the dreaded Cyclonian/Atmosian War. The squadron was led by Falcon, a good-hearted and down-to-earth sky knight.

Falcon came from a regal family on Terra Atmosia. He was destined to inherit the family wealth due to his father's business ventures, but instead he chose to appeal to the sky council, and after vigorous training and daunting trials, he achieved the status of sky knight. Shortly after, he made his own squadron, and journeyed to Terra Quies to establish an official sky knight squadron.

Why Falcon had chosen Quies was because of the angelic girl that he had met there on one of his longer training expeditions. She had silky brunette hair, emerald green eyes, and a smile that brought him comfort every time he gazed upon her. Understandably, he took many more training missions to the terra, where he even set up a place to train and sleep.

He promised his love, Ember, that he would marry her when he finally became a sky knight, and he would commit himself to the protection and preservation of Terra Quies. The two came together to form one family on Terra Quies, and Ember gave birth to a baby boy whom she and Falcon affectionately named Phoenix. Phoenix spent his first few days of life babbling and crying. Falcon would swaddle Phoenix in his arms, so that he could peer into the eyes that shared the same ocean blue colour as his own. Whenever Phoenix cried, his mother would be the one to comfort him effectively. It seemed that her emerald green eyes didn't only bring comfort to Falcon as the little infant would also feel at ease shortly after meeting his mother's gaze. On Falcon's off-days, Falcon, Ember, and Phoenix would spend hours lying together in the lush fields of the terra. Falcon would hold Ember close to his chest, and Ember would cradle Phoenix near her chest. The three would gaze up at the clear blue sky that the terra had to offer.

Phoenix enjoyed the peaceful life on the terra with his parents until one fateful day, when the Cyclonian empire paid a visit to Terra Quies.

Early afternoon, The First Battle for Terra Quies…

The sky shook with cannon fire as Cyclonian battleships entered the borders of Terra Quies. Falcon and his squadron took to the skies as Talons sped towards the Terra. Villagers scrambled to gather their valuables, and proceeded to large civilian freighter ships that would serve as evacuation ships.

Ember swaddled the small boy in her arms as she frantically scrambled towards the ports containing the freighters. She looked up at the sky to see her husband and his squadron strafing, swooping, and diving between and around Cyclonian Talons in a desperate effort to buy time for the civilians below.

As Ember reached the port, it seemed as if the whole place were falling apart. Crying children were heard among the crowd, people were trampling other people to ensure their seat on the evacuation ships, and bodies of wounded and dead villagers who had been slaughtered by fire coming from Talon fighters were riddled all over the port. Despite being disoriented and terrified by the horrific spectacle, Ember rushed for the nearest freighter in hopes of escaping with her tiny infant.

Suddenly, the freighter that she was rushing toward was incinerated by Talon fighters. She watched in shock as charred and burning bodies crawled, sprawled, and scrambled back out from the freighter. Blood curdling screams emanated from the now burning hulk of metal as the growing inferno claimed its victims. Ember, who was disoriented and still in shock from the spectacle, now stared in horror at the sky where a skimmer was barreling towards the ground with Falcon struggling to regain control of it. It seemed for a moment that time had stopped as her eyes met that of the dark-haired man's blue eyes whom she loved so much. That momentary pause was interrupted as his skimmer met the ground with a loud crash. Ember saw the plume of smoke which originated from the crash site.

She ran as fast as she could, still with the boy in her arms, and headed towards the city centre. All around her, screams of agony, uncontrollable blazes, and cries for salvation echoed as she made her desperate rush towards her husband. When she found him, he was standing up against his skimmer trying to orient himself with his surroundings. She ran towards him, and the two hugged each other as they were glad to see each other once more.

Suddenly, the two redirected their attention to the sound of numerous boots marching in their direction. The couple could not see the approaching individuals, but Falcon had a feeling of which individuals the ruckus belonged to. With that thought, Falcon ignited his blazing orange blade to prepare for the upcoming fight. As the smoke cleared, Cyclonian ground forces marched forward with unrelenting glares, and crystal powered staffs.

"Take Phoenix and make for the western edge of the city. Don't worry about me, just go!" yelled Falcon.

"I'm not leaving you! You know that!" replied Ember.

"Ember please, just take Phoenix and-

At that moment, a loud screech came from the sky as a fiery bird swooped down and incinerated a dozen Cyclonian guards who were now rolling on the floor in agony.

"Ember you have to go now! Redemption and I will hold off the Cyclonians! Just go!" Falcon yelled again.

Ember still shocked by her husband's mysterious new friend started heading for the western edge of the city. As she ran farther away, battle cries could be heard as Falcon and Redemption fought back the advancing Cyclonian ground forces. Ember glanced back again to see several crystal-charged javelins being launched at the phoenix which took multiple hits, and crashed to the ground below.

As she turned around once more to continue her current route, she was cut off by a line of Cyclonian guards who brandished crystal-charged staffs, and shields bearing the Cyclonian emblem. She stood their helplessly as the line of guards started advancing towards her. She looked up at the sky for a moment. She saw the cannon fire continue to rain across the sky like a fireworks display. She looked back down at her baby boy and tried to force a small smile to comfort him as the boy's blue eyes started to well up with tears.

"Halt!" a commanding voice shouted.

"Get off our terra!" yelled Ember.

"Wait a minute, you're the wife of Falcon, the leader of the Swooping Sparrows aren't you?" questioned the Cyclonian ground commander.

Ember hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

"Your husband is dead. I'll give it to him, he put up quite the fight." stated the Cyclonian commander with a cruel sneer.

Ember fought back tears as she stared at the commander and his line of guards.

"We will take your son now, he will make a fine Talon." said the Cyclonian commander.

Ember making a last-ditch attempt to escape started bolting towards an alley way. She felt a sudden pain in her leg and she collapsed onto the pavement. Despite the pain, she huddled the baby in a futile attempt to keep him safe.

"I'm sorry Phoenix. Mommy will always love you." Ember whispered as her son continued to cry.

The Cyclonian commander reached Ember and pulled Phoenix out of her weakened arms, and began to cradle him in his own arms.

"You're with me now, and I am going to make you a finer and more powerful fighter than your parents ever could." whispered the Cyclonian commander.

The boy's blue eyes met his eyes. The boy's eyes spoke of helplessness, and longing for his parents. The Cyclonian commander returned to his line of troops and pointed at Ember. Ember peered up at the line of infantry and glared defiantly at them.

"Ready, aim, fire!" yelled the Cyclonian commander.

With that, the Cyclonian infantry let out a volley of red bolts that struck Ember and killed her instantly. Although Phoenix may have been too young to fully comprehend what had just occurred, he let out a deafening cry that echoed the pain of loss as his eyes met those of his deceased mother's eyes for one last time. Those emerald eyes of hers had welled up with tears too, and they seemed to be apologizing for failing to protect him. The Cyclonian infantry, now with captured child in hand, triumphantly marched back toward their ships through the destroyed streets of Terra Quies' capital city.