"Huh? I mean, huh, General Mam?"
- Stryker correcting himself, The River of Wind, page 87
| Stryker | |
| |
| Description | |
| Species: | Barn Owl (Tyto alba) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Family | |
| ' | N/A |
| Book Appearances | |
| Appears in: | The Shattering, The Burning, The Hatchling, Lost Tales of Ga'hoole, The Outcast, The Golden Tree, The River of Wind |
| Details | |
| Second-in-command of the Pure Ones | |
Stryker was a male Barn Owl, or Tyto alba, who served in the Pure Ones army as a commander. While Stryker held many high positions in the Pure One army, he's described as not being very bright.
Along with being a good warrior and an officer, Stryker was also the Pure Ones' best tracker and led the search party for Coryn (then Nyroc) and Dustytuft (Phillip) when they deserted.
History
Before the Books
When Stryker joined the Pure Ones, he was originally named Junior.
The Shattering
Stryker is first introduced into the series in this book. He was one of the guards with Nyra when Eglantine and Primrose were captured in The Beaks. He is described as a Pure Guard Lieutenant when he reported to Nyra. He probably took part in the short skirmish, but it has not been backed up that he did for sure.
The Burning
Stryker is mentioned more in The Burning. He first makes an appearance when the Pure Ones are on high alert waiting for the Guardians to lauch their invasion. He and Uglamore began to bicker about the Guardians' impending attack and to move units of soldiers around the canyonland to make sure all areas of penetration were blocked. Uglamore suggested waking up the High Tyto Kludd and Her Pureness Nyra. Stryker decided against it and thought to himself how Uglamore was trying to nudge his way into the good graces of Kludd and Nyra. When the battle did begin, Stryker joined the action. He fought Otulissa against the wall of a cliff and thought he pinned her back against it. She then dodged and sliced his belly, wounding him. He was chased by Ruby and Otulissa but escaped them and survived the battle, one of the few Pure Ones who did.
The Hatchling
Stryker and Wortmore were sent to find a rogue smith for High Tyto Kludd's Final Ceremony. Stryker led the posse when Nyroc and Dustytuft desserted the Pure Ones. He was helped with this by Doc Finebeak, the famed tracker who was on good terms with crows.
Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole
After Nyroc fled again, he and Vaygar went to track him down. They met Uglamore at Silverveil. Unknown to them, Uglamore already found the hatchling and was determined to protect him. Stryker left to find the hatchling somewhere else, leaving a hungry Vaygar, who got killed later by Uglamore.
The Outcast
Although not mentioned, it is very likely that Stryker was preparing the remaining Pure Ones and hireclaws who had recently joined for battle upon Nyra's order.
The Golden Tree
Stryker was sent by Nyra to retrieve the Book of Kreeth from Trader Mags. When Trader Mags recounted the event, Coryn realized it was Stryker who was sent because of the notch in his beak Trader Mags described him with. He was present at the Battle of the Book of Kreeth and survived. This battle could be considered the original origins of the War of the Ember because its events were very important in the timeline of the presence of the Ember of Hoole.
The River of Wind
Stryker was disappointed to hear that Tarn, a Burrowing Owl hireclaw, had been promoted above him to the rank of Captain. This insult on Stryker's behalf made him third-in-command and ultimately led to his death as he was distracted when Tengshu attacked and killed him. He wanted to kill Tengshu badly to reclaim favor of Nyra but underestimated Tengshu's abilities.
Personality & Traits
Stryker was a fierce warrior who had been part of the Pure Ones force trying to dominate the world during the War of the Pure Ones and the suspected origins of the War of the Ember. He always held high ranking positions and favor with the leaders of the Pure Ones until his last days as a soldier when he lost his command and was insulted by being outranked by a hireclaw that wasn't even any type of Barn Owl. Stryker was a good fighter with battle claws and fire claws and even tried to fight with fire. He was also the Pure Ones best tracker. He may have been the leader of the elite unit, the Fire Talons. This was mentioned during the rebuilding of the Pure Ones Empire when he suggested Nyroc be recruited into the officers' corp, Fire Talons, or the scouts, elite units of soldiers. But, he is a bit jealous of Uglamore, another Commander of the Pure Ones, who he thinks is always trying to impress Her Pureness, Nyra and the High Tyto, Kludd.
Physical Description
In The Burning, Stryker was scarred across his stomach by Otulissa, and is shown to have a notch in his beak in The River of Wind.