Disclaimers
"Guardians of Ga'Hoole" and all characters therein are owned by Kathryn Lasky and Scholastic Inc.
"Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" and all characters therein are owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
I only own this story, its plots and the original characters therein.
This story is fictional. Any similarities to real events and people, living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Any similarities to characters and/or plots from the other available fanfiction stories here are completely coincidental.
Special thanks go out to WolfOnFyre/Rapture At Sea, for betareading and providing additions to this story.
Chapter 1: On The Run
The sun was shining brightly in the Forest Kingdom of Ambala. Numerous coniferous and deciduous trees were bathing in its warming rays, while crystal clear waters, originating from the mountains miles away, endlessly flowed from the many creeks and rivers across the land into the main river known as the River Hoole, which in turn flowed straight towards the Sea of Hoolemere. Bears would wait patiently at the edge of the waters, biding their moment to grab one of the plentiful fish swimming around in them. A gentle wind rustled the leaves on the trees and the growth on the ground. Skunks, foxes and other land animals were up and about looking for their next meal, while several, various birds in the air and the trees were doing the same, for themselves and their families.
Just another ordinary day. Except for one bird.
It wasn't looking for food, but rather shelter. As fast as his wings could allow him, he weaved through the forest to try and lose his pursuers.
"No point in running, Kraai! We will get you! It's only a matter of moments!"
Kraai glanced back, and despair slowly filled him when he saw that the voices he heard were telling the truth. Even though they were still quite far away, they were getting closer by the second. He'd have to find some place, any place, to hide... and fast.
He quickly scanned the area around of him. There were several hollows in the nearby trees, but hiding there would be too obvious, plus the chances of running into an occupied hollow with a family of sleeping owls, waking them up and giving away his position, were far too high.
Then he spotted a fallen coniferous tree. It was suspended over one of the many rivers running through Ambala, held in place by large rocks at the ends of the log. It was positioned right before a slope, so if it wasn't for the rocks, it would tumble down into the river. Most importantly, it also had a sizable hole on the starboard side, unreachable to any creature save by birds.
"Perfect! I just pray to Corva they don't see me heading in there..."
Corva was to crows what Glaux was to owls, Lupus to wolves, and Ursus to bears. For indeed, Kraai was a crow, a Corvus corone, and he was now being chased by his own kind. Kraai always knew he was different than the other crows, but he never expected them to turn against him as they did.
To try and shake his chasers, he dove down towards the log, and flew across the left side of it. Skimming the bark at the underside of the log, he emerged on the right of it, and back-flipped straight into the hollow.
Quickly glancing around, it was clear from the arranged nest and numerous trinkets scattered about that this hollow was occupied, but the current resident wasn't home. He hoped to make himself scarce before the inhabitant would return, but for now, his biggest concern was not to get beaten to a pulp by a group of his own kind.
Thinking of them turned his mind back to hiding. He walked in as deep as the hollow would allow, and made himself as small as possible. Outside, over the running water below, he could hear the fluttering of the murder passing over the log, but then stopping dead in their tracks. He barely heard their voices.
"Where did he go?"
"I don't see him anywhere."
"He couldn't have just vanished!"
"We have to get him! If word of our plans gets out..."
"I clearly saw him flying under this log here, but then he was gone."
"Do you think maybe he hit it and fell in the water, Zwart?"
"Hah! That would be pretty dumb. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised. Kraai never was the brightest. Still, gotta give him some credit. You and you, go look downstream, see if he's there. The rest of you, with me. We'll search around this area. Meet back here once you're done looking."
The last voice he heard was that of Zwart, the leader of the pack. His voice had a deep gruff, and most of the feathers on his head were a softer shade of black, more like a shade of dark gray, betraying his age.
For the past two weeks, Kraai had never been more scared like this in his life. "Oh, Corva, don't let them find me! Is it so wrong not to like what they like? Can't they just accept I'm different? If even one of them thinks of looking in here, it's all over..."
For what seemed the longest time, Kraai remained in the same spot, all the while expecting one of the crows to notice the hole in the log and check it out. Finally, his fears became true as he heard a bird landing in the hollow. Since he was curled up into a ball to the best of his abilities, he couldn't look at the arrival, but he just knew whoever it was was going to turn to the other crows outside, and yell "He's here! I found him! Get over here!" He was all but certain he was done for.
"What the... Who are you? What are you doing in my home? Get out!"
Kraai lifted his wing to peek from underneath it. Standing in the hollow was a bird that looked like a crow, but its chest and belly were covered in snow-white feathers, and the top of its wings had a shade of blue. He was looking at a magpie.
"Well? Are you deaf? You're trespassing, and I'm not going to stand for it. Go on, get! Now!"
"No, please, keep your voice down. I'm hiding," he whispered.
"What? Hiding? From whom?"
"Those crows outside, they're looking for me. Don't let them find me! Please, I'm begging you!"
The magpie looked over her shoulder to the outside, seeing some of the crows flying in circles, constantly shifting their sights as if looking for something... or someone.
"Those are for you? But, you're one of them. What have you done to frink them off?"
"I'm not like them, and they hate me for it. If they get their talons on me, I'm afraid they'll kill me. Please, don't ask me to leave..."
The magpie looked over her shoulder again, noticing one of the crows had spotted her hollow, and was making his way to it. She glanced back to Kraai, and back again to the crow heading her way, trying to make up her mind.
"Alright, fine. I'll help. But you owe me for this. Now, one of your 'buddies' is coming over. Here, use this piece of cloth my niece found for me." As Kraai again made himself as small as he could, she draped said piece of cloth over his back, making him look more inconspicuous. "Keep quiet. He's almost here."
The magpie turned around, and walked to the edge of the hollow. The crow was coming up to her now, and tried his best to hover in front of the hollow, a skill only reserved for hummingbirds.
"Hey, lady. Have you seen a crow around here?"
"Yes, I have."
Kraai mentally cringed. He had just pleaded for the magpie for help. She agreed. And she was selling him out already?
"You have? Well go on then, where did you see one?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm seeing one right in front of me. Oh, and look, over there is a whole bunch of them," pointing with her right talon towards the flock of crows, circling the area where they were looking for Kraai.
"Oh, ha-frinking-ha, lady," the crow retorted.
Kraai himself exhaled deeply, only to hold his breath immediately after, reminding himself he was acting like an ornament now. The crow confronting the magpie tried to peek inside her hollow after he thought to have heard something. Yet, she deftly stepped in his way.
"Problem?"
Not being able to have seen anything that looked remotely like a crow, he replied with a brisk "Whatever," and turned around to headed back to the rest of the murder. The magpie kept her sight on the crow, seeing him report to another crow who appeared to be the leader of the group, and finally they all moved out of sight. She turned around to Kraai, who was shaking like a leaf from the lack of oxygen.
"They're gone. You can breathe now."
Inhaling sharply, Kraai uncurled and threw off the cloth, knocking over a small metallic trinket one would know as a thimble.
"Hey, watch it! I traded three perfectly good crystals with my niece for that."
"I'm so sorry, but I'm so relieved! You practically saved my life just now! My name is Kraai, can I ask for your name?"
"I suppose. It's Ekster."
"Well, thank you, Ekster. I don't know how I could ever repay you!"
"Don't worry, I'll think of something," she said with a smirk. "You could start by explaining why they were after you in the first place."
Kraai was a little hesitant to explain, but since she practically saved him, he complied.
"You know how crows love to mob owls? Well, I don't. I care for every species in the world, even for the bugs I have to eat sometimes in order to survive. I was flying with that murder when we just mobbed a couple of owls. We thought they had both died, but when they told me to make sure they were dead, I discovered that one of them still lived, and kept quiet about it. But when the truth came out, they've been chasing me ever since, and managed to lose them for now by hiding here. I don't know what they'll do if they ever find me, but it won't be pleasant, to say the least."
"I see. Well then, I guess it would be best if you stayed the night. Those 'friends' of yours might still be around. But after that, where will you go to?"
No other avian species in the animal kingdoms were as loathed as crows. Even seagulls and puffins were deemed above crows by many. Kraai could only think of one place he would be relatively welcome.
"Well, seeing as I'm pretty much considered an outcast now, where does any kind of outcast go to? The Beyond the Beyond, naturally. Who knows, perhaps I can make myself useful running errands for some of the rogue colliers or blacksmiths. Or maybe even one of the wolf clans... Besides being a snack."
As the day progressed, what was known as tween time soon approached while the pacifist crow and the magpie conversed. Ekster had moved some of her geegaws closer together to make room for her charcoal-colored guest. Kraai looked outside before closing his eyes to sleep. Not so much to look for this former murder, but rather to see the nocturnal owls stir from their sleep, enjoy their tweener meal and hear fragments of the stories known as the Ga'Hoolian Legends they told their owlets.
How could anyone think of hurting such benevolent and honorable creatures? I hope to one day prove to them not all crows are hostile, even if I'm the only one... That was his last thought before sleep took over him.
Kraai was awoken quite abruptly to some peculiar sounds coming from outside. It sounded like... digging?
Is it perhaps a Burrowing Owl scampering around, looking for a treat? Wait, that would be unlikely. They live in the desert.
Kraai carefully got up, trying not to knock over any of Ekster's valuables, and stuck his head out the hollow to look around. He retracted it instantly as soon as he discovered the origin of the sounds.
They were indeed sounds of digging, but it wasn't coming from a Burrowing Owl, or any kind of owl for that matter. It was twixt time, known to owls as First Light, where the sun would leak its first rays of light into the new day. Such rays were all Kraai needed to see what was going on.
He scooted over to Ekster, who was still sound asleep.
"Ekster! Ekster, wake up! We have to leave, now!"
Ekster, barely aware of Kraai distress, slowly opened her black, beady eyes, which then shot open in a fraction of a second.
"What the- who are you? What are you... Oh, right," she said, recalling yesterday's events. "What's the matter, Kraai?"
"We have to leave, now!"
"Leave? What for? I intend to spend the last of my days here, which I hope isn't for quite some time."
Suddenly, the log that provided Ekster with her home moved slightly, knocking over some of Ekster's oddities.
"Oh no, my properties! What's going on?"
"Ekster, if you value your life more than your trinkets, you have to go, now!"
The log moved again, knocking more items down. It had tumbled far enough to make a few of Ekster's geegaws roll out the entrance of the hollow, towards the streaming waters below, including the thimble Kraai knocked over the day before.
"No! Mags said it was one of a kind!" Ekster shouted as she launched from the hollow, diving after the thimble. Coming outside, with Kraai in her wake, she managed to grab it just before it hit the waters.
"Phew!" she sighed, while turning around. "Now, what's causing..." Her eyes grew wide at what she saw next.
The murder that was looking for Kraai yesterday had returned. They were clawing away the earth from around the rocks that were holding the log in place. Just then, the rocks couldn't handle the weight of the log any longer, due to the lack of earth as a counterweight, and Ekster's home tumbled downhill, coming to a crunching halt several leagues further down the river with one end in the water, the other on the riverbed.
Ekster nearly dropped the thimble in astonishment. "My... my home... my possessions... everything I had... gone!" she exclaimed, almost oblivious to the fact she managed to save the thimble, what little comfort that provided.
Kraai, who flew up besides her, tried to get her attention. "Uhm, Ekster, more pressing matters at hand..."
They both turned at the cause of Ekster's destroyed home, which was yesterday's murder. They quickly found themselves surrounded by a dozen crows, slowly circling around them. Kraai instantly recognized Zwart as he spoke up.
"So that's where you've been hiding yourself, ugly! I had a hunch you'd be holed up with that scavenging friend of yours, and I was right. You looked so peaceful together, sleeping without a care in the world. I had hoped to get both of you at the same time, but no. You HAD to wake up, didn't you."
"She has nothing to do with this, Zwart. It's me you want, leave her out of this!"
"Oh, but she does! She became part of it as soon as she allowed you in. If she had given you up, she'd still have her home, where YOU decided to hide."
Ekster exploded. "You destroyed my home! Kraai didn't dig away the earth around my home, you and your goons did! Why, I should..."
"Should what exactly, sister? In case you haven't noticed, we outnumber you six to one. I'd love to see you try anything."
Infuriated and in the heat of the moment, Ekster threw her thimble right at Zwart. Not expecting an attack, Zwart was caught completely unaware, and the thimble hit him right in his left eye.
"OW! By Corva, I swear you won't live another minute to regret that. Have at them!"
Kraai glanced at Ekster. While he was impressed by her throw, both of them knew it had little to no chance of evading the beating they were about to receive. They both closed their eyes and anticipated the bone-crushing blows they were about to get...
But instead heard the sounds of some of the crows screaming in pain.
Kraai and Ekster carefully opened their eyes again, and saw the crows in front of them looking in shock at a figure situated behind them. They turned around, and where previously four crows used to be, was now a bald eagle. The eagle lashed out at a few more crows, veering them off in several directions. With more than half of his forces defeated on a whim, Zwart backed off, but not before addressing Kraai one more time.
"You got off lucky this time, you freak! But rest assured, we will find you again. And when we do, you'll get what's coming to you!" after which he turned and flew away from the trio.
When the vanquished murder was out of sight, the eagle turned to the crow and magpie. Or rather, just the crow. Ekster had flown down to the log that used to be her home, looking in the water and the mushy soil for any of her possessions. Unfortunately, most of her stuff was washed away downstream, and the things she did find was in pieces. Nothing had survived.
Kraai and the eagle alighted on the ground. "Th... thank you, eagle sir... You saved us..."
"Arend."
"What?"
"My name is Arend. And you're welcome. I don't know what happened exactly for a flock of crows to turn against one of their own and a harmless looking magpie, however. Though I must say, that was a pretty nice pitch."
"Yes, indeed. She really gave it to that bird," Kraai commented.
"So?" Arend asked.
"So what?"
"So, care to explain why they wanted to lay the hurt on you?"
Kraai went into detail of yesterdays events leading into the moment before Arend had stepped in, and why the crows were after him in the first place.
"A crow that cares about others? Even owls? Huh. And here I was, thinking I'd seen it all."
"I concur," Ekster added, after joining them when she couldn't find any of her valuables intact. "Even though I'm homeless now, partially because of him."
"I know, Ekster, and I'm sorry this happened. I had hoped we were in the clear, but I'm afraid as long as Zwart is around, I'll never be safe. Nor you, for that matter, Ekster. And now I fear that includes you too as well, Arend. You may have fought them off this time, but I know Zwart. He won't stop until we've all been dealt with, and he's got the means to do it."
"Well, I guess that means we'll have to take care of him first," Arend concluded.
"I agree, but how? There's just the three of us, and I can't think of anyone to ask for help."
"My parents may know. They live here in Ambala, about half a days flight away. Their owl friend who lives with them is very knowledgeable, maybe she can help too."
Both Kraai and Ekster looked relieved to hear some good news for a change. Getting help from the owl kingdom would be a tremendous boon to them.
"I know the way," Arend said. "But before we go, a little heads-up: my mother can't talk. Her tongue was ripped out in a battle many years ago. Don't focus on that, and maybe you'll be fine," he said with a mischievous look. "Follow me!"
Everyone lifted off, taking to the air. They went past the treeline, when suddenly...
"Wait!"
Both male birds turned to Ekster, who had shot her gaze earthward, retreaving something. Seeing that something glitter in the growth of the forest floor, she dove down and retrieved it. She had recovered her thimble.
"This talonglove is all I have left, and I'll be danged if I leave it."
"A what now?" Kraai asked, confused by this new term.
"A talonglove. See, when I curved my talons together, it fits over them perfectly and I can throw some powerful punches around," she explained, while showing off her newly created melee weapon. "Lead the way, Arend!"
Arend sighed at Ekster's obsession with worldly possessions, but he figured she couldn't help it, being a magpie and all. He turned into the direction of his parents nest, and launched himself forward, the crow and magpie in his wake.