As tradition demanded, one week before each child turned twelve, the parents would take them to the fortuneteller. She was a lovely woman who lived in a modest home at the edge of the forest. She instructed the parents to bring their child inside to where she was sitting neatly, slender hands poised perfectly on her knees and long black hair tied back in a neat bun.
When the couple's first child went, she stepped elegantly into the room. She folded her hands into her lap and sat quietly in between her parents. The fortuneteller took one look at their eldest child's pale complexion and long, graceful limbs and smiled with joy. The fortuneteller explained to the parents that their daughter had the spirit of a crane and would have a long, prosperous life. When she turned twelve, she would be gifted to find her one true love. The parents left chatting happily, lightly teasing their flushing daughter all the way home.
When the couple's second child visited, she stumbled a bit as she entered. But she caught herself before she tripped and managed to kneel between her parents. Before she had even gotten comfortable, the fortuneteller chuckled and explained she had the spirit of a deer and thus possessed a warm heart and an inclination towards kindness. When she turned twelve, she would be gifted with composing lovely poems and letters, the foretuneteller told them, and the girl's soft ears pricked forward in interest. The parents left promising to buy the finest brushes and papers for their cheerful daughter.
When the couple's third child entered, he didn't even make it through the door. As soon as he stepped into the room, the foretuneteller gave a great shriek. Their son, she told them in terrified bursts, had the spirit of an owl and thus had inherited the curse of the Owl King.
The fortuneteller explained to the parents that after what happened with the Tanuki Lord, it was believed that if an owl spirit looked you in the eyes, you would suffer a violent death or terrible tragedy. For the entirety of their son's twelfth year, his potential would teeter wildly between good and evil.
But there was a way around this, she said! If he was kept away from everyone and banned from taking flight, he might just break the curse and become a great hero. But if he broke any of these rules before he turned thirteen, the curse of the Owl King would take effect, and a horrible fate would befall anyone who looked at him or stood under the shadow of his wings.
The parents left in a dreadful, twisted silence.