The Others: A Theoretical Collection lay open upon the little, wooden table. The nonfiction book was open to a page covered in the scratchy talon-writing of an anonymous author. Otulissa let out a little, heaving sigh as she read the book. Owls didn't know much about the Others, but it was most definitely interesting to read about. The Others seem like such ostentatious creatures! Otulissa thought to herself as she looked at some rough sketches of elaborate castles and churches. "Hm…" Her mind rarely drifted away from her current task, whatever it may be, but this time, her mind did drift off to some other subject.
Oh, Cleve…I wonder how you are doing right now. We haven't made contact in…well, it seems like forever to me! Oh, Great Glaux, how long has it been? Otulissa shook her head fiercely as she shifted the weight on her talons. Oh my Glaux! I think I have forgotten how long it has been…I never forget! How can this be?! Calm down, now. Otulissa calmed down, just as she instructed herself to do so. Perfectly poised, she continued reading. But, after a page or two, her thoughts raced back to Cleve. Well, why am I thinking so much about him? This is just…a funny feeling I have deep in my gizzard. I do know I miss him, but… Racdrops! Otulissa turned the page in the book, and forced herself to cut off her internal dialogue. Stop thinking about that gizzard-resisting Prince! Stop it! This happened yesterday too…Concentrate on the book!
She forced her eyes to take in every part, every diagram, and every sentence in the book. "The Others are peculiar beings. Now that they are extinct, there is no way to prove any theories. But, we can all attempt to make educated hypotheses. The Others are very complex creatures, and they are the intelligent animals who were the first to discover the awe-inspiring, academic advances such as literature, science, and arithmetic. The Others are very different from owls in their structure, and even in their livelihood, but the Others are also similar to owls in some other, less obvious ways. The Others, like owls, have a will of their own. They are able to choose whether to be a warrior, or a gizzard-resister. Even though the Others do not have gizzards, they still have the will to avoid fighting and killing."
Otulissa's gizzard gave a little lurch. Racdrops! This book is making me think of Cleve again…That gizzard-resister is…so…well, never mind. Concentrate on the book! Of course, Otulissa couldn't exactly concentrate on the book after reading that little segment on gizzard-resisters. Cleve was the most dedicated gizzard-resister Otulissa had ever known. And a smart one at that. Oh, whatever! I shall just refrain from reading more of this book for now. Until my mind clears up, that's all… Otulissa shut the book carefully, with the lemming-skin bookmark inside.
With a little chur, that sounded so unlike herself, Otulissa thought, I cannot even fool myself. I am hopelessly in love with Cleve. Yes, Prince Cleve of Firthmore.