AN: After a day of hard thinking, I've decided to publish this story before my upcoming sequel. I will be writing both this and the sequel at the same time. I just decided that I want to show the Pure Ones' side of the story and dive head first into Shizriu's world and his background. This starts off before the movie. We'll start off as Shizriu has lost all of his downy white and grey feathers, ready to take branching lessons, as he is found by a Pure One scavenger owl. So here is chapter one of Pure Blood.
Shizriu stood at attention as his father spoke. "My son, the key to branching is not worrying about how much noise you make as long as you land safely." Shizriu nodded and jumped, gliding in an awkward bob and weave. As he landed he almost slipped.
He looked down and took notice that he was way too high to really see the ground. Shizriu then put his attention back to his dad who glided down and landed next to him. "That was good. Try again." His father urged him.
Shizriu took to the sky again, gliding down. This time, it was less clumsy. He landed and stood up straight, waiting for his father. He looked up and saw his father in a squabble with another owl. His eyes widened as he saw his father fall, in a spray of blood and feathers.
Shizriu was then lifted into the air and taken from the tree he had called home. He watched as it slowly became a dot that was unrecognizable from the rest of the many trees of Tyto forest. Shizriu looked skyward to his captor.
It was an immense sized owl, but the color of his feathers made it really hard to tell what type of owl he was. The owl's feathers were stained white with red splashed in. Jake remembered that his father had told him that different colored owls were natural.
Shizriu and his family were black Barn Owls. Their colors were black backs and faces with dark brown breasts which differed from a typical Tyto Alba which were white faced and light brown feathers with white breasts.
Soon Shizriu started to notice more owls with owlets in their talons. So he wasn't the only owlet stolen from his home. But he had to wonder if their fathers were slaughtered in front of them too. Shizriu noticed that the initial shock of that finally was wearing off.
He started to struggle and shouted, "Let me go!" The huge owl holding him looked down at him and said, "Silence young'un" Shizriu glared at the owl and continued to struggle. "Now stop tha' I can't fly straight if ya keep tha' up."The great owl said.
Shizriu then bit the owl's talon, he felt his beak fill with gushing blood, but he didn't care, he bit even harder. He had to fight to escape. The owl carrying him let out a yelp and tried to shake Shizriu's mouth loose, but to no avail. He kept biting down harder and harder, but the owl still didn't let him go.
Soon Shizriu noticed that the talon he had in his beak went limp, he looked and saw the talon falling from the sky. The huge owl screamed out, "Ya little bastard! Ya bit mah talon off! If ya weren't a Tyto I'd 'ave just dropped ya!"
The other owls who were carrying owlets took notice to this and started to murmur "Moon blink him." "He's a fighter, that one" " The High Tyto should be very pleased with him."
The big owl chuckled and said, "I wish we could moon blink 'im. But Nyra 'ad already instructed every owl to leave the Tytos, especially Tyto Albas, alone." Then he said, "Though it would put the little bastard in 'is place."
Shizriu knew what moon blinking was. His father always told him to try and never fall asleep at night, and especially not during a full moon. Their hollow always had the light of full moons shining in the opening.
He had asked his father what moon blinking was like, to which his father replied "Like your soul had been ripped from your arms and you are left a shell of an owl. Or so I've been told. I have never personally known the feeling."
So he knew he had to avoid that. He had to get away. But he had just bitten off the owl's talon. It was obvious that he was not getting away... yet. But he didn't know what he could do. He couldn't fly yet. But that wouldn't stop him.
Soon night started to fall as the owls were nearing red flags. On rocks there were owls with metal helmets and Battle Claws perched up, watching the owls as they flew by.
The owls that were carrying all the kidnapped owlets dumped them off on a stone platform, but Shizriu wasn't so lucky. The owl that was carrying him kept going. He looked up and wondered if he was being hidden from this "Nyra" that the owl had spoken of.
They went to a large arena, and Shizriu was finally dropped. He noticed that the other owls were being herded into the same arena. The owl who dropped him then limped in front of Shizriu. "I'm keeping this a secret from the High Tyto. You will be looking up to the light of the full moon and sleeping."
Shizriu glared at him and said, "I refuse." The big owl gave him a quizzical look. "I wasn't askin' ya, young'un." Shizriu then let out a screech, his feathers puffed up. He jumped and swung his talons wildly, clawing at the big owl.
The huge owl's eyes widened as he tried to wheel back, but it was too late, Shizriu's sharp talons found their mark, ripping a huge gash in the owl's trachea. The big owl gasped and gagged, as blood gushed wildly out of the wound. And he fell with a loud thud.
A guard owl in battle attire flew and was about to collide with Shizriu, but a white owl stood in front of him. The guard stopped and stood at attention. Shizriu couldn't help but feel horrified. He had just killed another living soul and he was probably going to be punished.
The white owl turned gracefully, and focused her piercing blue eyes on a slightly shivering Shizriu. She chuckled and stated, "Oh, young Tyto. You have nothing to fear. You did me a great favor. The owl you had just killed disobeyed direct orders. He concealed you from me. Ironic that you killed him for doing so, the just punishment who goes against the Pure Ones' orders."
Shizriu was awestruck by Nyra's beauty. Her white feathers shining brightly in the moonlight. It was dazzling. Shizriu had to wonder if he was falling in love, or if her feathers were moon blinking him.
"I am Nyra, young Tyto, Ablah General of St. Aegelious, and mate to the Lord High Tyto. And I am sure my husband would be very pleased with how strong you are, how cunning you are in a fight." The white Tyto Alba told Shizriu.
Shizriu was surprised by the information he was told. He didn't understand what she meant by his cunning. He simply listened to his gizzard and fought for his life. "Follow me, young Tyto. I'm sure my husband would love to meet you." Nyra told him
Shizriu responded and followed her closely as she walked to an opening, where there weren't many owlets, and Nyra then took to the sky and carried Shizriu with her.
They arrived in a large cavern, where a large owl with a metal mask was perched high between two crimson flags. "What have you to say, Nyra?" The masked owl asked.
"My lord, I brought you an offering with beating heart. He had just killed a traitorous owl who had gone against order." Nyra paused then continued, "I request to keep this young owlet and teach him our ways myself… and be his… mother figure. So to speak."
The metal masked owl looked Shizriu over and commanded, "Step forward and speak your name." Shizriu took a step forward and looked up at the masked owl. "My name is Shizriu, sir." The masked owl then said, "Weakness is for the lower species. Not for us. Do you know why, Shizriu?"
Shizriu racked his brain. He had to come up with a pleasing answer; he feared this metal masked owl. There was something about the air around him that made Shizriu want to just run far away. But he wouldn't be able to with Nyra wanting to take him in.
He then remembered how the owl who kidnapped him talked about Tyto's being off limits. He raised his head high and stated, "Because we are Tytos." The metal masked owl seemed pleased. And spoke, "He has passed the test. I shall allow you to keep him, Nyra. Teach him well."
Nyra bowed her head in respect and herded Shizriu out of the cavern. She once again carried him to another large cavern. "This is usually mine, and the High Tyto's hollow. But you are under my care. So this will be your hollow too."Nyra told Shizriu.
He nodded and felt that he didn't need to feel afraid. And he didn't. He felt weirdly comfortable. He had even forgotten his home, which he was taken from just hours before. He felt accepted and… happy.
Shizriu decided that he wouldn't leave after all. But he then remembered that first impressions could be deceiving. So he decided that he would see how it would be tomorrow, before he decided if this place was bad.