I'm Movin' On
Coryn's Passing
"No, Coryn! No!" She could not believe this was happening. Above the place where Coryn now lay, Otulissa had years before perched on an outcropping and watched in astonishment as young Coryn had retrieved the ember.
"Coryn," Otulissa said softly, "Cleve will come. He will mend you. Sew your wing back on."
"I am fine. I don't need wings where I am going."
Coryn lay back finally, feeling his strength ebbing with each beat of his heart. It was strange, though- it didn't hurt like he had thought it would. For once in his life, the young Barn Owl felt completely content. With Nyra and the Striga finally defeated and destroyed, Coryn was at ease. All the mistakes and misfortunes that he had suffered through in his life finally seemed worth it- to be here surrounded by his friends and comrades, in a world where there was no longer an evil shadow watching over them.
I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
His breathing shallow, the king of all owls lay in the aftermath of the war, but his mind was elsewhere, transported back to his past...
***
Nyra stood before him, her eyes filled an emotion he had never seen before, love. He could see himself reflected in her vision, and could only just feel a prick of the evil in his life that was yet to come. She cooed softly, like he had seen Pelli do to the three Bs, and he watched his hatchling days slip away from his memory. To his adolescent years...
...and there was Phillip, known to the Pure Ones as Dustytuft, bleeding his life away in the soil, and Nyra, holding his feebly beating heart in her talons, tears clouding her vision, as she watched her only son lose all his child-like trust for her. It was all because of his fire-sight that he had found out the truth, and many times he had wondered if it was worth it to be so lonely. Coryn could feel the pain that wrenched her gizzard, the pain when your offspring despises you, and wishes that you were dead. And he could understand her reasoning for her anger, despite how horrid her beliefs had been. He felt himself flee from the memory, like he had fled from Nyra.
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on.
The mask of his dead father, Kludd flashed in his eyes, and he winced as he heard the harsh cackling of his father's metal beak. Coryn's gizzard began to shiver with fear, and he wanted to hide, like he had hidden in the tree long ago. He closed his eyes and covered his face in his wings, and the laughing stopped. Uncovering his face, Coryn realized that the mask was gone.
Mist, Slynella, and the eagles were before him, urging him to the Beyond. Otulissa bowed to him, and he felt once again, the heat of the ember, and his amazement as he felt his heart fill with purpose. All of Ga'Hoole bowed their heads to him then, but, the previous flash of happiness was gone, leaving only an emptiness.
I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on
It was funny, but in a sad sort of way. What he had dreamed about for so long, to go to the Great Tree, had been a fleeting moment of peace. It was his purpose, but, it was not all. And when Nyra and the Striga banded together, Coryn knew in his gizzard that he must leave everything he loved behind, so that the world would be free of evil.
It was a horrible decision, but one that had to be made.
I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
He could see himself commanding the army of all creatures. Polar bears, wolves, puffins, owls, gulls- all beasts and birds united for the common goal of peace from nachtmagen, the silent stalker on the edge of dreams that haunted the borders of time. He poured out his gizzard to all, and there was no fear left in him, only the resolve to rid the world of this evil. The mother figure that he had always wanted, that had been a nightmare all along, was dead. And he was dying.
I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
And he felt it. The peace he had so longed for was finally spilling from his gizzard and ga', and there was no fear left. He looked to the stars with contentment, and felt himself separate from the broken shell that lay in the Beyond. He watched his friends' faces as they watched their king pass, and he silently reassured them, sensing their gizzards grow still.
"Do not be afraid, my friends, for Ga'Hoole will soon seat a new king. He has deserved it all his life, and I wish him countless years of peace."
As he began to climb the skies, Coryn did not need to flap his wings, there was no need. The young king felt no need to look back on the scene below, he had unwavering confidence in the new king. Not just Ga'Hoole, but the entire world of owls and beasts would be safe under Soren's reign.
As he was lifted higher, the Barn Owl watched a small patch of stars before him swarm together, forming the shape of a wolf, Cody perhaps. Hooting in greeting, Coryn felt his beak grow long and broad, his hoot lower in pitch, and his wings turn to long, furry limbs. It was just like when he had gone hunting with the wolves, all those seasons before, and it felt just as natural, and yet unnatural as it always had.
When he had reached the young wolf, Coryn bowed his head and rolled his eyes back, a small-scale version of the sign of submission. Cody smiled and spoke, his voice a whisper. "I have waited for you to come, King Coryn, just in case you could not find your way."
Coryn winced, shaking his head. "You need not call me king anymore, Cody. Call me Coryn."
"Where you are going, there will be no need for ranks, Coryn. I will gladly accompany you there." Two creatures, one a wolf, the other, a wolf-at-heart, could be seen climbing the spirit trail, to the cave of souls that awaited them.
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on....
xxxxx
Personally, as much as I liked Coryn, I think that it was kind of fitting for him to die. After all, if he had lived, he would probably still be plagued by the horrifying memories of Nyra and the Striga, and didn't deserve to relive those thoughts everyday. I am very sad now that Guardians of Ga'Hoole as a series is finished, but, it was a fitting end.
This is my first-ever songfic. I couldn't really find much guidance on how to write one, so I just wrote whatever came to mind when I read the lyrics to myself. Sorry if the end piece is a little weird, I couldn't really think of anything to say, but I loved the idea of Coryn meeting Cody. The lyrics are property of Rascal Flatts ("I'm Movin' On") and the first few italic lines are from Kathryn Lasky's The War of the Ember. I hope you enjoyed it.