What if only Soren had gone branching that day? What if only Soren had been taken by the Pure Ones? When Soren returns one day, Kludd is overjoyed to have his brother back but it doesn't take long for him to change his mind.
It had been almost a year and a half since Soren had gone missing. Kludd was perched on a branch of the tree that was his home. The night was bright, much like the night that Soren had decided to go branching on his own and had never come back. Kludd's parents had searched the Tito woods endlessly, and when Kludd had finally been able to fly, he had joined them too. They had searched for months before finally giving up believing that Soren was dead.
Kludd had been lonely ever since. There weren't many owls his age nearby, so his only company had been his parents who talked about nothing than survival and Soren and Eglantine who wasn't yet able to fly. So, most of the time Kludd had been on his own, longing for another moment with his lost brother.
Tonight was different though. Kludd watched as a few birds raced towards him on the wind. They were black as night. Crows. The black birds slowed as they came to where Kludd was perched.
"Aargh. Kludd, son of Noctus and Marella. We are here to warn you. Pure ones are coming your way!" the bird squawked in a frenzy of fear and excitement.
"What do you mean the pure ones?" Kludd said, "they are only a legend."
"No, they are very real indeed. They say you and your family will be an excellent bargaining chip. They said the Flame Thrower would be in trouble!" and with that, the crows were off crying their song into the night.
Kludd, although he was confused, leaped off the branch and descended down into the hollow of the tree. His parents were there, as was Eglantine and Mrs. P. They turned as he landed at the entrance. They had heard him before they had seen him. It made his insides bubble with annoyance and anger, and he dreaded how loud he was when flying.
Noctus looked at his son expectantly. "What is it Kludd?"
"We have to get out of here. The pure ones are coming, they said we would be bargaining chips against someone called the Flame Thrower. We have to leave!" Kludd replied exasperatedly.
"Do you now? But we were looking forward to meeting you." A voice sounded behind Kludd and the Tito whipped round to find a large great grey owl. His feathers were stained red and he had a malicious glint in his eye. Kludd jumped back spreading his wings slightly to protect his family. Noctus did the same and the two males stood there preparing for a fight. Kludd noticed three other pure ones behind him, although they had black masks on that only revealed glowing red eyes.
"Who are you and what do you want!" Noctus said.
The great grey looked him up and down and smiled. "oh, I am the general of Queen Nyra, leader of the pure ones. I have come to take you and your family to join us. We have a problem that only you can solve."
"Does this have to do the Flame Thrower, whoever he is?" Kludd asked desperately.
"Oh yes it does, I am surprised you haven't heard of him. After all, he was the one who destroyed our precious store of flecks and allowed the Guardians to massacre half our army, and killed our leader Metal Beak!" the grey became impatient and Kludd feared that he would do something irrational. "but no matter, we can update you on the way. Now come willingly or you will be forced…."
Suddenly a pair of golden talons gripped the great greys shoulders and the pure one was dragged out of the hallow. Kludd saw the glint of the rising sun reflect of metal and it took him a while before he realized who had saved them. The guardians battled fiercely. There were four of them. There was another great grey who wore a helmet, along with two smaller owls who were much more than their size, but Kludd's eyes were locked on the owl who was now facing the pure one general. That guardian was quick and nimble but also powerful and strong. Kludd lost sight of the owl as a pure one soldier flew into the hollow.
Kludd faced him with courage, but the Tito was no match for the trained soldier before him. Kludd was knocked to the ground and sharpened talons gripped his wings. Kludd couldn't help shrieking in pain. This was worse than falling out of tree's or crashing into branches. This was a real pain. However, it didn't last long, the weight soon disappeared from on top of him, and Kludd looked up as the Tito who had fought against the general dropped the soldier's dead body. At the same moment, the other guardians landed at the entrance, peering in at the scared family of owls, sunlight glinted off their helmets, half blinding Kludd.
"Kludd, are you alright?" a voice said. A voice that he hadn't heard in a very long time. Kludd scramble to his feet in time to see the other barn owl remove his helmet. Suddenly, Kludd was staring into eyes he thought he would never see again.
"Soren?" Kludd whispered.