NOTE: The owls have the life spans of humans that goes for all my fanfics, since this story will tie in with Welcome to Paradise, I think it'll make it easier to follow the time line.
I'm going to try to keep the chaps at a min of 500 words since I'm not sure were my mind will take me on this one.
EDIT: Ive revised and edited this the story is the same but with correct grammar.
Sixty years before the events at Stelten (Paradise City)
Chapter one: Be there in no time mate... no time at all.
It was late afternoon. The battle was over. Most of the soldiers that had family's had returned to them. Others had stayed behind to get a few hours sleep before setting off later in the night. Most of the wounded had been flown off on stretchers. Only a few remained behind, waiting for the last of the 700 scheduled medical flights to arrive. A short-eared owl made his way through the rows of wounded on wicker stretchers. His name was Major Javior Favela and he was the guardian in command of the 57th air-watch division. He was a grizzled veteran of battle now, he was a hard type and all he really cared about was getting promoted to a better position. He enjoyed battle, it was his only real love, sure he had a family, a beautiful mate and a young son, he provided for them and made sure they lived comfortably enough but he just couldn't bring himself to love them or anyone els really, it was just the way he was. His nephew, Kunitz, was gravely injured and he was told that he probably wouldn't make it through the night, so it was up to him to inform his brother, Kittosa, who was waiting for a healing chaw flight to take him back to the Ga'hoole for further medical attention.
Kittosa was lying on his back semi-strapped to a stretcher talking in a low voice to his friend Finch, a barred owl, who had received a shattered ankle in combat and was waiting for the same flight, when Javior reached them.
"How's the wing Kit?" Javior asked, as he drew up next to them.
"Broken" Kit replied, lightly.
"they gave you something for the pain I assume" Javior asked flatly, noticing Kittosa's unconcern at the fact that his wing was bound to his side.
"Yeah, it twinges a bit but its alright" Kit replied.
"Here take a shot of this" Javior said, offering a small flask of reddish liquid to Kittosa, who excepted and took a swallow.
"Not bad, a little weak though" Kittosa said, with a grin, handing the flask back to Javior, who took it in one claw, while balancing on the other.
"I can see your flight" Javior said, gazing at a patch of sky still lit by the setting sun.
they all looked up and could just make out the outline of seven owls flying toward the encampment. Javior stood up straighter and watched them as they neared the encampment.
"Hey is my son alright?" Kittosa asked.
"Kunitz is fine, he just got a little banged up that's all" Javior lied, still watching the owls in the distance.
"There's seven to for each, who the third person" Javior wondered aloud.
"probably that kid over there" Said Finch, jerking his head at the stretcher next to them.
The occupant of the stretcher, a very young and unconscious Hawk Owl, was rapped almost from head to talon in linen bandages, leaving only his head and right leg exposed.
"Poor Kid got burned up in one of the fires the pure ones started" Kittosa said, seeing Javior looking at him.
"War is a terrible thing" said Finch, looking sad.
"There must always be sacrifices" Javior said calmly.
"Spare us brother, we don't need your war mongering" Kittosa said, eyeing his brother angrily.
Javior looked at him for a moment, Don't worry brother, you wont have to listen to me much longer at all, He thought.
The medical flight arrived and Javior shook talons with flight captain, a masked owl.
"Medical flight 666 here to pick up three critical" the captain said, briskly.
"Nice number" Javior said.
"Well when you've got seven hundred flights someones got to come in six hundred sixty-six" The captain replied, in a worn out tone.
At that moment a messenger came hurrying up to Javior. "Sir you have received an urgent message from HQ" the messenger said.
"Excuse me captain" Javior said, before turning away and ripping open the note, he read it quickly, his spirits rising with every sentence, he smiled to himself, his plan was falling into place perfectly.
In the meantime Finch, Kittosa and the young hawk owl were being strapped more tightly to the stretchers.
"every one ready?" The captain said, in a loud commanding tone.
"Sir yes sir!" came the reply.
Javior turned back to the captain, "Good luck, captain" He said.
The captain nodded briskly and turned back to his crew, "pick em' up and move out!" the captain shouted.
the seven owls assembled two to each stretcher with the captain flying point. each owl, except the captain, grabbed the straps on the ends of the stretchers tightly and with a few timed down strokes were off, flying in a V formation, the captain flying several feet ahead of the rest. The owl carrying the head-end of Kittosa's stretcher, a young spotted owl, leaned down slightly and shouted over the wind, "Be there in no time mate... no time at all".
R&R