A magnificent male pidgeot soars through the clouds like an angel from above making all sorts loopy loops in the air. It lost a single feather but didn't care and continued flying and then suddenly dived down through the clouds like a bullet. He then spread out his wings to break it and flew over a mighty waterfall. It looked around as if to find something and kept his eyes glued to one spot and went in that direction. He dove into the forest to see a Rattata sitting on a tree branch. He extended his talons and silently snatched it without in even noticing. He then flew off to a tree not far and into a large hollow where there was a lot of laughter.
"Your days of terrorizing the flyers kingdom are over!" shouted a Pidgeotto wearing a large leaf to make it look like a helmet.
"Not so fast," said a rather young female pidgey wearing a small leaf wrapped around her small beak. "You're no match against my army of evil ones!"
"Well perhaps, but I am Lyze of Kiel!"
"Soren, but-" The Pidgeotto named Soren didn't listen though.
"And I have assembled my own army, the Guardians of Ga'hoole!" he shouted in triumph.
"But Soren-"
"We've sworn an oath to make strong the weak, mend the broken, and vanquish evil!"
"Oh." The little pidgey groaned.
Soren sighed and looked down at his little sister. "Eglantine, what is it?"
"Soren, this time you said I could be Lyze of Kiel." said Eglantine.
"Oh," Said Soren who just remembered what he promised to his little sister. "Come on. Look, next go, all right?"
"Well, I hope you're not lying… to Metal Beak! Rawr!" she said suddenly gave a playful head-but against Soren who took it as surprise and just played along. "Got you! Ow!" she backed away and the leaf wrapped around her beak broke. "Oh. My beak. Da."
The pidgeot that just came in just chuckled. "Okay. Enough you two. Time for bed."
"Yes, please. Enough stories about the Guardians." said another Pidgeotto.
"Now, Kludd, stories are part of our culture and our history. We learn from them." said the father.
"Even after the 700th time we hear them?"
"Yes, even then. Unless, son, you already know all there is to our history."
"I know the Guardians win." said Soren.
"Soren, it's just a story." Kludd told his younger brother.
"It is not!" Soren argued.
"Here we go again." said an old ekans. She was quite elderly but had a great heart. She helped the female pidgeot with the nest.
"I mean, Da, have you ever seen a Guardian?" Kludd asked his father, doubting that he had.
"Kludd, just because can't see something doesn't mean it isn't real," He told his oldest hatchling, "It's like feeling something in your gizzard. You know, through our gizzards… the voices of the ages whisper to us and tell us what's right." Soren and Eglantine churred in awe while Kludd just moaned.
"Now, that's enough for one day, dear," said their mother, "Tomorrow's a big a big day. It's first branching. Now off to bed." Soren and Kludd are close to being able to fly, but not yet, they had to do branching for the first time and then they will be closer to being able to fly while Eglantine couldn't because she is not old enough unlike her brothers.
"Now, come along now, children," said the ekans named Mrs. P, "I've made the moss and down extra soft for you, Eglantine." She said and slithered away so Soren could get into the nest.
"Soren, do you really think that Metal Beak is real?" asked Eglantine.
"You remember, it was the Battle of the Ice Claws. The Guardians were outnumbered. Things looked dark." Said Soren as he and Eglantine looked up at the owl drawn on the wall. "But then Lyze of Kiel struck down the leader of the evil owl." Eglantine gasped in amazement while holding a little pidgey doll and listened to Soren in awe. "The Guardians were victorious. The flying kingdoms were free once more. And then they returned home to the Great Tree of Ga'hoole."
"Wow." Eglantine whispered.
"But some say that the evil king still lives… and wears a metal mask to hide his missing beak." Eglantine gasped.
"Stop! You're going to give her nightmares." said Kludd.
"But this is my favorite part!" she whined.
"I know. We've heard it a thousand times," he turned around to face his little brother and sister; "You have a soft head, Soren. I think da has filled it with stories and dreams."
"There's nothing wrong with dreams." He said.
"That's the difference between us, brother. I have mine when I'm asleep. Now would you please go to sleep?" Soren took in a deep breath. He knew he was right, but he didn't mind that much.
"Soren…" said a tired Eglantine and gave out a big yawn, "Da says our dreams are who we are." That's all she was able to say before falling asleep on Soren's chest. He smiled and put one of his wings around her.
The next day at Soren's tree was being noisy. It was Kludd with his father doing his first branching. "So as I was- Kludd, wait!" Kludd jumped off the branch his dad was on and sloppily glided to the next one. "No! Look da! I'm going to be the best flier. That's because flying types with feathers are best at everything! Right, da?" he asked as he come flying down to him.
"You have strength, Kludd. But flying types make the best hunters for one reason alone."
"Yeah, I know," he interrupted, "Their silent flight. By the time I have my claws out-"
"The Rattata will have run away. And you and your hatchlings would go hungry." His father interrupted this time.
"Da!" Soren called out to him with his leaf helmet on, "I'm ready." His dad couldn't hide the fact that he just couldn't laugh. "Heh-heh-heh. Young Guardian, I don't think that your first branching lesson will be that dangerous." He said taking the leaf off his head. "Now, don't worry how much noise you make in the beginning. You just need to stretch out your…" he wasn't able to finished because Soren glided down a branch with grace. "Wings… Well done!"
"Beginner's luck." Kludd muttered to himself and jumped off to glide sloppily to where Soren was. As he landed, he knocked over a small branch and it fell to the ground. "Whoa." Both Soren and Kludd looked down the tree they were on. "You know, Kludd, it helps when I picture where I'm going to land. Come on, I'll race you!"
"Okay." said Kludd and took a head start. "Go!" He had to fly in a curve while Soren flown in a straight line and landed on the branch where their dad was. "Ha, ha! Ha!"
"Yeah, you had a head start."
"No I didn't!"
"Yeah, you did. Da, he cheated!"
"Boys. No more fighting," said their mother as she came down, "Noctus, let's get the boys inside. It's time to go."
"Can we come with you on the hunt?" asked Soren.
"Not tonight. But when the time comes, at least you'll have the helmet for it." said Noctus who placed Soren's leaf helmet back on as he laughed a bit as did his mate.
"Nice helmet!" Kludd mocked.
"Get off!"
"Boys." Their mother warned. She waited until they were inside so she and Noctus could talk. "Noctus, I know Soren is a bit of a dreamer. Do you worry for him?"
"Oh, I worry for both of them," He answered, "It seems like yesterday they were hatchlings and now, well, you know, they'll soon be grown and leaving the hollow. I just want them to be prepared."
"They'll be fine. Come on." She and Noctus flew out and went in search for something decent to eat.
Inside the hollow, Eglantine was making some sort of gagging noises and made funny faces. "Eglantine, are you alright?" Soren asked.
"Oh, it's all right, dear. If it wants to come out, let it." said Mrs. P. Eglantine keeps coughing a little and tries to keep hacking up whatever it was. "That's it, dear. That's it. Keep going. Oh it's going to be beautiful!" she said quite excitedly. Eglantine then yarps up a pellet and were breathing hard and were trying to piece together what just happened. "There you go."
"Eg, that was gross!" Soren laughed.
"Quite an achievement." said Kludd.
"What is it?" asked Eglantine.
"It's your first pellet." Mrs. P answered.
"First? You mean there will be more?" Eglantine shuddered.
"Don't you recognize it, Eg? It was the you ate. Its fur and bones, anyway. Most flying types yarps up pellets. In fact, I think I might have your brother's first pellets."
"No no." Both Soren and Kludd stammered in embarrassment.
"Maybe you would like to see them?"
"No. Oh, Mrs. P, not again. Please." said Soren.
"Oh, come on, dear. Such a big night for this tree. First branching, first pellet." said Mrs. P as she tugs Eglantine to the nest to see Soren and Kludd's first pellet.
Soren kept a close eye on them and made sure they weren't listening. "Kludd, do you want to go out and try out some more branching?"
"What? So you can go out there and show off again? I don't think so."
"Oh, maybe you're right. Maybe we should just… I don't know, stay inside and play Battle of the Ice Claws again." Soren said quite amused already knowing that Kludd hates it. And he was right when he saw Kludd glaring daggers at him.
Kludd crudity glided over to a branch. He successfully landed, but made some scratch marks on the branch. "Kludd? Could I just show you how? Without you being so angry?" Soren said as he glided down next to him. Kludd let out a sigh. "Alright. Show me how."
"Well, before I leap… I picture myself standing on a great cliff with the Guardians, ready for battle." As Soren continued on, Kludd just rolled his eyes. "We leap down, floating silently like Lyze of Kiel. The air's just carrying us as we-
"That's enough!" shouted Kludd as he gave Soren a push, only to have him stumble back and bump into Kludd and fell. Soren tried his best and chuckled as he thought he was flying, but fell to the ground with Kludd. "Kludd, are you okay?"
"Oh no." Kludd said to himself.
"We're on the ground."
"We can't be here. It's- it's… this is the worst place for a flyer."
Soren was in a daze looking at the towering tree that is their home. "Yeah. No, no. It's weird down here."
"No. We gotta get back. We can't be here."
"You know, if we could just make it to that branch. Then we could climb our way up." Kludd looked up at the tree and back at Soren thinking he was crazy. "Yeah, here, let's see." Soren jumped up and flapped as hard as he could, but he collapsed back to the ground.
"Shh! Quiet!" Kludd whispered. He was about to say something but a loud rustling interrupted. "What was that?" They both looked around to find the source. Then all of a sudden, a large Raticate leaped over a log and headed towards Kludd and started a chase. "Soren!"
"Kludd!" Soren leapt on top of the Raticate and pulled on its ear. The Raticate squealed in pain and got of Kludd while he stared in shock and ran behind a tree root as Soren got backed up against the tree. "Kludd! Kludd!" But Kludd was too scared to move. All seemed lost to Soren as the Raticate moved in closer. Suddenly a screech from a Fearow was heard and attacked the Raticate and into the bushes. Soren backed away from the death fight. He didn't notice a white Fearow heading towards him and grabbed him.
The Fearow who just now killed the Raticate noticed Kludd, who came out of his hiding place and grabbed hold of him as well and joined the other Fearow.
"Where are you taking us?" They didn't listen. "But our home's that way!" he pointed with his talon at the one of many trees behind them. Then it hit him. He and his older brother were being kidnapped. "You can't do this!"
"Keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you." The Fearow that was carrying Kludd warned. "What's you think, Jutt?" he asked the white Fearow who was named Jutt.
"The 'I'll shut it for you' part?" Jutt asked.
"No, not that. My evil stare. Been working on it for weeks."
"Oh, I missed it. Let's see." The Fearow flew close to Jutt and chuckled darkly while showing his one unusual eye that was green with some shades of yellow. He also had part of a Rattata's rib ring pierced in his nostrils.
"Impressive!" said Jutt.
"You like it?"
"Yeah. You know, Jatt, your evil stare reminds me a little of my 'Intimidator'." Jutt said darkly.
"Yeah?" asked Jatt.
"I raise one eyebrow… tuck in my chin and-
"Who are you?" Soren interrupted.
"Hey! No questions. No 'who's,' no 'what's,' no 'whys'. You'll see soon enough." said Jatt as he flew over to Soren again. This time, Soren avoided looking him in the eye. "What do you think? Did that evil stare seem forced or natural?"
"Completely natural."
"Oh, thanks."
"Let me go!" shouted Kludd and bit one of Jatt's talons and he yelped in pain and let go of Kludd and he plummeted to the body of water below them.
"Kludd!" shouted Soren. Jatt just moaned in irritation, knowing that he had to go get him. Kludd screamed thinking this was his end, but Jatt caught him just in time before he could hit the water.
"Strong beak, that one." said Jatt as he flew back up to Jutt.
"Yeah? Well, they'll put that to good use." He chuckled along with Jatt. Soren looked over at Kludd, who now had a large scar on his face.
"You know, Jatt, if I use your evil stare… and combine it with my raised-eyebrow look… I get this." said Jutt as he made an intimidating look.
"What do you call that?"
"The Predator."
"'The Predator'? It's a bit silly, don't you think?" While the two talked over it, Soren looked back at his home that was now just a tree hidden with the others.