He's small, but not a chicken hawk

Aeran is the Captain of the Guardian Hawks of Empyrean. 


These hawks are like an honor guard. Oh and they're tiny, like hand-size tiny. They do important things like deliver messages and look good at special events. The hawks have a rich history and they used to be much larger. There will be more about them in Book III: The Secret Queen and Book IV: The First Queen.


In The Fourth Queen, the hawks are represented by Aeran (he gets his name from my brother Aaron, btw). This little guy is the newest captain and he's fairly cocky. Chapter 3 shows his change from a bragging showoff to a dedicated and honorable soldier. He has the first encounter with one of the Forgotten Evil's beasts and gives us a tour of the eastern realm at the same time. We see from the air all the terrain that Zandria and Olena will have to cross on the way to the castle.


Besides Aeran, his three fastest hawks are Bellevue, Derek and Habrok. While Aeran's name is borrowed from the real world with an avian twist, the other three are homages to fictional birds. Hábrók comes from Norse story Gylfaginning, dealing with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods. Ever heard of the Bellevue Blackhawks? I'm not a sports fan, so I wonder what I was thinking in retrospect, but that name comes from the Bellevue, WA basketball team. Derek is inspired by Derek Blunt, the greatest agent in the history of Darkwing Duck's S.H.U.S.H. agency. While the names were inspired from their hawk origins, they really have nothing more to do with their source material. 


One of many "easter eggs" in The Empyrical Tales.