Genetics, as well as the external environment, played an equal role in shaping the personalities of owlets as they matured. While most fell along the middle of the continuum, the emergence of an individual with an unusual character was inevitable.
One such short-eared owl named Trinity, who lived in a hollow on the shore of Silverveil's sole lake, fit that description perfectly.
Having inherited her mother's beauty and her father's wit, she developed into a feisty and exuberant adult.
Males found her beguiling, especially during the Time of the Silver Rain. She was hardly interested in starting a family, however.
She embraced her freedom and enjoyed teasing her suitors in a variety of ways.
Most often she resorted to sultry glances and suggestive comments in order to prey on their tendencies and mess with their heads.
When she felt particularly adventurous, she would lean forward, angle her tail upward, and grant her pursuers a brief peek at her nether regions.
She thrived on attention from those of the opposite sex as much as she relied on sustenance for survival.
That is not to say she always resorted to questionable behavior.
She forged friendships with male and female owls of a variety of species besides her own.
When she was around them, she conducted herself in a more-or-less respectable manner. She couldn't resist showing off her audacious side every now and then.
Eventually, dark curiosity drove her to discover how it felt to make love. She hunted down a suitable male and invited him to her hollow – during the Time of the Copper-Rose Rain, of course.
Once their privacy was guaranteed, she wasted no time in treating him to a risqué foreplay session.
Blending wing stroking of an arousing nature and provocative remarks, she neutralized his reluctance and presented him with an offer he couldn't refuse.
Her seductive tactics won him over and the pair engaged in not one, but two episodes of cloacal kissing.
At first, she allowed him to mount her in the usual position employed by copulating owls. Afterwards, she returned the favor and exerted her dominance over her partner.
The ecstasy of their intimate ritual far exceeded anything she'd experienced up to that point. They maintained a relationship of sorts in the wake of their interaction, having become "mates" in the literal sense.
For a few moons Trinity was satisfied, as Terence regularly agreed to fulfill her salacious desires. What better way to stave off the bitter cold of a night in the Time of the White Rain?
In time, however, a new fantasy blossomed in her mind. She could not, would not, rest until she made it a reality.
What she sought was nestled in the treasure trove that was Ambala, the verdant region to the south.
One mild, serene night, Trinity awoke and promptly consumed a mouse and vole. Quenching her thirst with a beakful of cool lake water, she traveled to Ambala, namely a specific subregion sporting groves of tall trees.
This was most likely the only portion of the S'yrthghar populated exclusively not by owls, but flying snakes.
The Southern Kingdom variant of the Kielian snakes of the N'yrthghar, the Ambalan snakes were slimmer, faster, and much more versatile, not to mention capable of gliding.
One half of their forked tongues was ivory and the other crimson. Depending on the situation, they could secrete a lethal venom or a liquid with remarkable healing properties.
One snake named Slynella had actually saved a Tyto named Soren from certain death after he was wounded during a battle with the owls of St. Aegolius. Thanks to her timely intervention, he survived and went on to become the Ga'Hoolian king alongside his mate, Pellimore.
Those emerald ribbons were not to be trifled with. On the other hand, though they kept to themselves, they were generally friendly towards the owls with whom they shared the sky.
Upon penetrating the outer border of the grove her gizzard began to tingle. She could not see them, yet she knew that scores of snakes were tracking her with their beady eyes.
She perched on the first available branch and preened her unkempt plumage. A female snake slithered out of the foliage to meet her, hanging her coils off either side of the limb.
"I am Samira. Very rarely does your kind enter our territory. What business do you have with us?"
"I would like to speak with a male, it does not matter who."
"Why is that?"
"I have a special request to make."
The snake rose up and stared straight into her eyes as if trying to scrutinize her thoughts. Several seconds of unnerving silence ensued.
"Wait here."
She disappeared into the maze of leaf-clad boughs. A handful of other snakes poked their heads out and eyed Trinity with similar intensity.
After a short delay, a long, healthy male approached her, with Samira trailing closely behind.
"This is one of my five brothers, Saladin."
"I am Trinity."
"Pleased to meet you."
"The feeling is mutual."
"You had a special request?"
"Would you mind accompanying me to my hollow? I live in Silverveil, a region not too far from here."
"That is a tempting offer. I have not ventured outside the boundaries of my home, yet I am curious about the land beyond. We are not exactly built for exploration."
Trinity gave an understanding nod.
"Being as I wish to better acquaint myself with you, as well as learn more about your kind, I believe this will benefit both of us."
"That is a valid point. I agree."
"Do you object, Samira?"
"He is free to do as he pleases. I doubt his parents will care as long as you don't plan to eat their son."
The short-eared owl chuckled.
"No offense, but I don't consider scales appetizing. I prefer to feast on rodents."
"As do I. We are alike in that regard."
"Indeed. Well then, are you ready to head out?"
"Yes."
Trinity rested her port wing tip on the branch. He shimmied up her back, stuffing himself neatly into the space between her wings.
"I won't let any harm come to him, you have my word."
"Tell my family where I've gone."
"Of course, brother."
"Goodbye for now."
With that, Trinity lofted herself into the air and climbed out of the canopy. Her gizzard quivered madly with anticipation, motivating her to fly faster.
Too fast, apparently, for him to handle.
"If I get blown off, there's no telling where I'll end up!"
She cut her flight speed in half and twisted her head completely around.
"My apologies. I am simply eager to get home and begin our discussion."
You will understand why shortly, my attractive companion.
Flying as swiftly as possible, she shortened the return journey by a modest amount. By the time she swooped inside her hollow, she could hardly contain her enthusiasm.
She sealed off the entrance with a curtain of moss hanging from a rudimentary frame crafted from sticks and vine. Thin slivers of the crescent moon's light slipped through the strands, providing just enough illumination to ward off the darkness.
Saladin slid to the floor of the hollow and glanced around.
"What a nice hollow you have here. I wouldn't be able to live in it, however. It's too confining."
"Thank you. To each his own."
"I assume you have many questions. I will do my best to answer them."
My plan has not been endangered yet. I must tread carefully now. If I cannot convince him to cooperate, I will be severely disappointed…
"You have a mate, don't you?"
"Her name is Serafina. My brothers are jealous, as she found me to be the most desirable."
"Interesting. I assume you feel the same way?"
"How can I not? She is incredibly beautiful. Hardly anything can compare to waking up next to her and gazing into her sparkling sapphire eyes."
"You must love her deeply then."
"Too deeply to express with words. I can't exist without her, as illogical as that sounds."
Trinity drew a calming breath.
"Then that must mean you enjoy making love to her."
Saladin smiled, not at all bothered by the statement.
"We've had three clutches already. Even when she is not capable of conceiving, we entwine our bodies and mate passionately at least once every night. It is difficult for us to resist one another."
That is exactly what I hoped he would say. There is no reason to worry any longer. He is addicted to the act, and I shall take full advantage of his impulsiveness…
"Then I must ask you this: have you ever fantasized about mating with some other creature, say, an owl?"
Saladin lifted his head by straightening his upper body. His vertically-oriented pupils bored into her circular ones.
Not a shred of unease tainted his brutally honest response: "I have, numerous times. Somehow, you've read my mind. I am impressed."
Trinity's beak curled into a devious grin.
"That is a secret fantasy of mine as well. I, too, have a mate, but our private interactions are becoming somewhat lackluster. I hunger for an entirely new experience."
"I am, shall we say, well-equipped to satisfy your lust."
"Perhaps I shall please you to an even greater degree than Serafina does."
"There is but one way to find out…"
Trinity retreated to the rear of the cavity, nudging her nest aside. Saladin followed and wrapped his body around hers in an anticlockwise spiral.
Her pristine plumage was rather slippery, so he gripped her snugly with his muscular coils.
"I have dreamed of this night for quite some time. Shall we begin?"
"I can't bear to wait one more minute."
She opened her beak in an inviting fashion. He inserted his head and a short portion of his neck into her oral cavity.
He parted his jaws and started licking her mucous membranes with his two-tone tongue. She partially shut her beak, leaving just enough space for his body to move freely between the two halves.
"This is a strange sensation, but enjoyable nonetheless."
Saladin abruptly changed tactics, gently clamping his jaws around her tongue and massaging it with restrained chewing motions. He kept his fangs folded against the roof of his mouth to avoid skewering her.
Doing so prohibited them both from speaking. Soon he retracted his head and both beings caught their breath.
"There is no reason for me to hold back any longer."
"Do your worst. Pleasure me as you would pleasure her."
"Your wish is my command."
Running his tail under hers, he bent its flexible tip upward and probed her underbelly feathers. She twitched when he touched her secret flower, betraying its location.
He positioned his cloaca just in front of hers, feeling the steady heat radiating from the naked tissue. Contracting a specific set of muscles, he everted his intromittent organs, a pair of fleshy pink hemipenes.
Each was a cylindrical shaft with an expanded tip in the shape of a squat cone. A set of small, evenly-spaced fingerlike projections arose from the lip of each cone.
The shafts themselves sported a series of circular ridges and were fused at the base. A narrow channel ran down their centers, culminating in a teardrop-shaped orifice at the cone's apexes.
Despite their rigid appearance, they were somewhat flexible. Saladin pressed the end of his left appendage against her cloaca and she gasped.
"Impale me with your glorious thorn…" she whispered seductively.
Saladin laid his head on her starboard shoulder and tightened his coils further to brace himself. In one fluid motion he buried his dagger inside her all the way up to its hilt.
The stubby projections stroked her oviduct, stimulating its nerve-rich surface. A pulse of dizzying pleasure raced up her spine, causing her back to arch.
"Oh Glaux… my mate… has never… felt this incredible…"
She staggered backwards and collided with the wall. Her legs buckled at their ankle joints and she slumped against it, assuming a seated position with her legs sticking out in front.
He withdrew his dagger and drilled it into her moist tunnel once more.
"Ahh… if only Terence… could do the same… to me…"
"I am superior to him… aren't I?"
He stabbed her a third time and she quivered in delight.
"Yes… it feels wonderful… to have you… inside me…"
"You are so warm… and so soft… I must confess… that you feel… even better… than she does…"
Saladin began sliding his sensitive sword in and out of her in a smooth, rhythmic pattern. With each calculated thrust, a sensual moan spilled from the owl's beak and the serpent hissed in animalistic delight.
As the seconds passed, the intimately linked beings drove each other closer and closer to the brink.
Sexual tension built up within their bodies; the urge to release said tension steadily intensified as time ticked by.
"Unh… oh Saladin… you mustn't stop… mmm… I'm so close…"
"As if I… would ever… do such a… foolish thing…"
He placed his head on top of her beak and gazed passionately into the gold-rimmed jewels of her eyes. He slowed the pace of his thrusts and executed them more forcefully, smacking his tail against her midsection.
"That's it… oh yes… pound my gizzard out… you savage snake…"
"Fortunately… for you… I don't have to… ahh… restrain myself…"
He extracted his living weapon, slick and coated with lubricating secretions, and angled his tail about thirty degrees to one side. He masterfully managed to shove both copulatory organs into her vent at once.
Her reproductive tract stretched to accommodate them as it would an egg. She registered no discomfort, only mind-warping pleasure.
He resumed pumping his lower body up and down.
"Two… is always… more favorable… than one…"
"Mmm… you are quite clever… I can't… take it… you feel… so incredibly good…"
Six thrusts later, the pent-up energy within her had reached an unbearable level.
"Take me… Saladin… fulfill… my most sinful… craving…"
"It would be… an honor. I am deep inside… an exquisite owl… and my dream… has been realized…"
With a surge of effort, he slammed his twin spears up her erogenous canal as far as they would go. She plunged into the chasm of ecstasy and a rapturous eruption took place.
Powerful convulsions rippled throughout her being, strongest in her loins. Her talons clenched repeatedly, gouging furrows in the hollow floor.
"Oh… oh Glaux… this is beyond… amazing… how is bliss… of this magnitude… allowed to… be felt by… mortals…"
Muscular contractions traveled down the length of Saladin's body, exhibiting their intended effect upon reaching his genitalia. Thin jets of milky white fluid squirted out of both hemipenes simultaneously, his seed splattering on contact with her inner walls.
"Such a question… mmm… does not need… ahh… an answer. Oh Trinity… I think… I am going… to faint…"
Luckily, he and his unconventional partner remained conscious while their climaxes ran their course. Their stamina drained, both creatures were breathless and almost gripped by paralysis.
Trinity's wings hung limply at her sides and Saladin's coils relaxed. He relocated his head to her breast, feeling the vigorous beating of her heart through his scales.
Normally he would've retracted his hemipenes and concealed them inside his body. He opted to leave them ensconced within the heavenly confines of her cloaca.
It bestowed upon him the satisfaction of being as close to the magnificent short-eared owl as possible.
A few droplets of fluid trickled out, but it was of no consequence. The serpent peered up into her lustrous gems and the owl met his gaze.
"Our hearts… may already belong… to others… Saladin… but I love the way… you made me feel…"
"I could say the same… Trinity…"
"Never shall I forget… this magical affair…"
"Neither will I… no offense… to Serafina…"
Trinity sighed and wrapped her wings around him.
"What she does not know… shall not hurt her."
"I suppose you are right. This will be… our naughty little secret."
"And a thrilling one at that."
The starkly-contrasting beings snuggled in the euphoric afterglow of their ritual. Deafening silence infiltrated the hollow, speaking volumes about the legitimacy of their bond.
Said silence was ultimately cast aside by the feathered soul.
"Care to stay with me another night, Saladin? Would you be opposed to the idea of making sweet love to me again?"
"Of course not, Trinity. I will gratify you as many times as you wish."
"Those words are music to my ear slits. You have my gratitude."
"And you have mine for granting me this rare opportunity."
Trinity shut her eyes and sank gracefully into an ocean of contentment. Saladin, who could not close his, let tranquility flow through his sinuous form nonetheless.
Owl and snake, two unlikely companions, proved that intimacy cared not about appearances and transcended all barriers.
One possessed wings and talons, the other possessed scales and fangs, yet their differences were no hindrance.
Paying no heed to established social norms, they shamelessly claimed life's greatest reward together.
No other force was as potent, or could unify mortals as effectively, as the four-letter word known as love.