The Unity of Rivals

CH. 1

Dray looked out of the hole in the ceiling and scowled at the sight of a family of owls flying by; he has hated them with a passion ever since what they did to the human race. He wished that he could fly up there with them and-

"Quiet down! Quiet down!" Master Nervon yells from the front of the room.

"Yes, master," Dray replies nervously, in tune with everyone in the cave. No one wondered how Nervon got his name; he completely destroyed all the nerves of anyone who dare to oppose him.

"Now, as you all know, we are preparing our attacks on both Ga'hoole and St. Aegolius, the two places with the largest owl population- and the biggest threats to our lives. Our 300 man army may be small, and split up into two groups of 150, even smaller, but the power is not in numbers. The power is in ability- an area I believe we outweigh those despicable owls in greatly. Two moons from now, we lead our attack on St. Aegolius- in three moons, Ga'hoole,- and we have a great advantage. They believe that we, the creatures they have simply dubbed as "others", are all dead, so our attack will be extremely unpredictable. Once we have taken these two bases, the destruction of the owl population will be simple. Now, sleep for the night, and as soon as you wake up, prepare for battle, for we leave at high noon. Our ancestors are awaiting their revenge."

Kludd looked around the Grand Hall in awe- everything was decorated with shining ribbons, mystical colors, and the symbol of tytos. And the most amazing thing about it was the reason- his inauguration to become the High Tyto, leader of the Pure Ones. After Metalbeak had been killed by the claw- well, flaming stick in his claw- of his brother, Nyra saw much promise in him and selected him to become the successor to Metalbeak. Although shocked at first, what with him being so much younger than Metalbeak, he gladly accepted the position of High Tyto, and tonight, that will be made official.

"Whoa..." Kludd mutters as he continues to look around the room.

"Nice display, isn't it?" Nyra says as she flies up next to Kludd. "Only the best for the High Tyto."

"It looks so... so..." Kludd struggles to find the right word, "so...Tyto."

"Exactly how it's supposed to look," Nyra replies. "After all, you are king of the Tytos."

"When I was brought here those few weeks ago, never did I think this would happen- well, not this soon, at least."

"Neither did I. But, of course, my mate was never one to lose a battle, especially to a weak, untrained, traitorous owlet."

"How he ended up going to the guardians- with all their "equality, weak is the strong" mumbo jumbo, I can't figure out."

"It was because he was too weak and too stupid to see the true destiny of all Tytos."

"Too weak, too stupid, and too much of a dreamer; what I've thought of him since he was born. Now, I've added a buttload of hatred to that."

"Hate, that is good. It is what made Metalbeak so perfect for the title High Tyto," Nyra thinks aloud. "Now, I have a special cape for you to wear during the ceremony. Let's go make sure it fits."

Soren, Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight were having a midnight flight around the tree, still getting used to all the different sights, sounds, and tunnels in their new home. 4 weeks ago, they were officially given the titles of Guardians of Ga'hoole, but currently did not have any missions.

"Six weeks ago, I dreamt of being able just to get one look at this place," Soren says. "Now, six weeks later, I'm a member of its vast population. It's so unbelievable..."

"I know," states Gylfie. "To think we've become guardians at such young ages. Do you think we're the youngest owls to ever officially become guardians?"

"We might be," Twilight states. "But, either way, I can practically guarantee that I'm the first to use a lute as a weapon of choice."

"It works a lot better for that than its main purpose when in your claws," Digger says.

"I still don't know how you don't enjoy my wonderful poetry."

"I don't know how you don't enjoy my wonderful jokes."

"They're not funny at all!"

"You're music's not... um, uh... what's a good word to place there?" Digger asks.

"Maybe... melodious?" Gylfie replies.

"Yeah, your're music not melodious at all! Whatever that means..."

"I don't take offense when someone doesn't even know what they're making fun of."

"Yes I do!" Digger exclaims, then whispers to Gylfie, "What does melodious mean?"

Gylfie rolls her eyes, then answers, "Basically, it means to sound good."

"Melodious means to sound good! So I said that you're music doesn't sound good!" Digger exclaims.

"How dare you! Do you know how much time I spend working on my music?" Twilight yells, as Soren and Gylfie slowly fly away unseen, leaving the two friends to bicker.

"They sure seem to argue a lot for being such good friends," Gylfie states.

"No one expects two owls to get along perfectly but... They do seem to fight way too much," Soren adds.

Both owls perch upon a branch near the top of the tree, looking up at the many twinkling stars that helped Gylfie guide the band to the tree.

"All my life, I looked up to all the stars I could see from the nest. Now, I have a whole bunch of new stars to look at. Isn't it spectacular?" Gylfie says.

"I remember stargazing from a branch with Kludd once back at the nest..." Soren replies. "After the battle, what happened to him? I saw him fall into flames firsthand, but, did he actually die?"

"Your brother I know was an accident," says a screech owl, suddenly appearing next to them on the branch, "but Metalbeak was exemplary."

"Ezylryb, you startled us," says Soren.

"A little scare every now and then can be a good thing; it heightens your nerves," Ezylryb says. "I don't know what happened to your brother, but if he lived, I know this; he has chosen a dark path. Bringing him out of it will difficult, maybe impossible. But I know that if anyone had the power to do it, it would be you Soren."

"But, why would he stay with them in the first place?" Soren asks. "It's not like he couldn't have come with us and become a guardian."

"His gizzard told him to stay there, I suppose," Ezylryb states, "But what is meant to happen will happen. He was meant to stay there, not come here with you. Not yet, at least. If he is meant to be a guardian, he will come when he is ready. If not, then he has made the right choice- even as unsavory as that choice may be."

Soren thinks about what his teacher has told him. 'Maybe he's right,' Soren thinks. 'If he is meant to be a Pure One, so be it. But...'

"I don't want to have to battle him again if he stays with them, though," Soren says. "I could never live with myself if I had to..."

"That will never happen. No two brothers shall battle to the death in this world as long as I have anything to do about it," Ezylryb. "It sounds like dinner is ready; We'd better go get some grub before they run out."

Soren, Gylfie, and Ezylryb fly to the dining hall, all with heavy thoughts on their mind...

"YOUR LUTE PLAYING IS SIMPLY ATROCIOUS!"

"NOT NEARLY AS ATROCIOUS AS YOUR HORRIBLE JOKES!"

Do they ever stop?