Me: Thank you Shen's General for taking the time to comment, fav, and follow this fic. For that, you and your crew will get free cake!
Kludd: Uhhhhh, Author?
Me: Yeah?
Kludd: You forgot to put down the disclaimer in the last chapter.
Me: I did? Aw s**t I did.
Shrapnel: What dose that mean, mean?
Me: It's means the S. A. W. T team will arrive in 3, 2, 1
*SWAT members suddenly crash through the window*
Me: Told ya.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LOTG OR ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS. I ONLY TWO UP COMING OCS. IF I DID. I WOULD'VE EITHER MADE THIS FIC THE SEQUEL, OR I WOULD'VE EITHER HIRED TearfulFriend18 or Shen's General TO HAVE THEIR FICS AS THE SEQUEL INSTEAD. BECAUSE THEIR FICS ARE THAT GOOD.
WARNING: SPOILERS, OOCNESS, SLIGHT LANGUAGE, AU
XoX
A big yawn escaped Gruff's jaws as he woke up from a late afternoon nap. The grey wolf slowly got up to all fours and shook his fur, allowing tiny particles of dirt to fall off due to his tendency to roll in his sleep. He then stretched his limbs out, sighing in relief when he heard a few cracks from his bones. Some of the other animals called him a old wolf. But he wasn't that old. By human standards he was about 37 in their years. But it didn't matter to him really. He slowly trotted over to the cave entrance and sat down. Watching the clear evening skies, he waited.
That owl would return any minute now from her hunt. Although he would worry for her due to her tendency of being a rather clumsy hunter for her kind. Great Lupus, if she were a wolf herself, he wouldn't even trust her in hunting a simple deer! But, she was still a pretty okay huntress for her age. He suddenly snapped his head up when he heard the familiar coo coo CROO call, signaling her return. He got back to all four once more, eager to see what she brought. It came to a surprise when he noticed that she was carrying something rather large, about her size to say.
"Gruff!" the black and white barn owl screeched, before landing in front of him.
The grey wolf looked down and his green eyes widened when he saw the barn owl infront of her. Before he could say anything the lady Tyto beat him to it.
"It's not what you think Gruff. I was flying through a burnt part if Tyto Forest and wound up at the Beaks. I found him lying on the ground surrounded by fire. I just couldn't leave him there." the barn owl said.
Gruff eyed the knocked out barn owl suspiciously. "Are you sure he isn't...one of them?" he asked warily.
The Tyto shrugged. "Beats me." she replied.
Gruff sighed at how ignorant this owl could be some times. He lowered his head closer to the dark red barn owl to get a better look and realised just how young this barn owl is. Perhaps he was about sixteen, her age. He then noticed that his right wing was angled awkwardly. He nudged it gently with his snout, only to receive a slight groan from the Tyto. "His wing is broken," Gruff said, "We have to bring him inside."
The female barn owl nodded and allowed Gruff to gently pick up the male Tyto with his mouth and take him to their cave. After placing Kludd down on a pile of rabbit fur, Gruff turned his attention back to the black and white Tyto. "Crazybird, did you find any food also?" he asked.
Crazybird smiled teasingly at the wolf, "Sorry. But no."
She then giggled at the groaned reply she received from Gruff.
...
Kludd couldn't tell wether or not he was actually dead or asleep. If he was dead, he would've been in Hagsmire by now, where he would've suffered for all eternity. But if he was alive, then he was going to have one hell of a wake up call. Right now he would hate it. But it would also be the wake up call that would change his life forever.
His vision was a big blur at first. Voices echoed outside but he couldn't depict on what they were saying. Then everything slowly began to settle. When it finally settled down the first thing that greeted him were two, big, emerald green eyes.
"AHHH!" Kludd screamed in surprise, jumping back and hitting the cave wall.
"Woah! Woah! Easy there little guy I just changed your bandages!" Gruff said quickly.
Bandages? Kludd thought. He looked down to his right to see he right wing covered in some kind of white fabric. "What the hell is this?" he groaned, rubbing his head with his working wing.
Gruff tilted his head slightly. "It's a bandage. You don't know what a bandage is?"
Kludd glared at the wolf, "What do you think?"
Gruff frowned at the barn owl's rude attitude. "Attitude. Anyway, a bandage is something that's used to cover up wounds like cuts or broken limbs such as your wing there." Gruff said, pointing his paw at Kludd's broken wing.
Kludd looked back at the bandage covering his wing, it made him feel a little bit better, but his wing still hurts like hell. Looking back up at the wolf, his expression calmed. "Thank you." he said, plain and simple.
Gruff's ears perked up slightly at the sudden change in behavior. "Your welcome. But you shouldn't thank me. You should thank her." he replied.
"Who?"
The wolf smirked before gesturing to the cave entrance. Kludd felt his heart suddenly stop when he saw the black and white barn owl land with a dead fox clutched in her talons. Under the moonlight, Kludd could see pure white spots glittered on her black wings. It reminded Kludd of a clear night sky with stars. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown and she seemed to have the happiest smile on her dark grey beak. "I'm baaaaaaaack!" she said in a sing-song voice.
Gruff smirked. "A fox. About damn time." he muttered before walking up to the barn owl, limping slightly.
Crazybird looked over Gruff's shoulder and noticed Kludd standing there. "He's awake?" she asked.
Gruff merely nodded before taking the dead fox in his mouth and walking over to the small fire they had. Crazybird followed the wolf back in the cave, not giving Kludd a glance. Kludd merely stayed where he was, watching as the wolf carefully removed the fur from the fox and placing the meaty carcass over the fire. Meanwhile the female Tyto was busy cleaning the fur pelt of blood and dirt before placing it on a pile of fur pelts. After twenty minutes of silence Kludd finally spoke up.
"Who are you people?" he asked
The wolf and owl stopped what they were doing before turning their attention to the male Tyto.
"Where are my manners?" Gruff chuckled, "I'm Gruff MacAldgruff. But you can just call me gruff. And that's Crazybird." he added, gesturing to the black and white barn owl nestled in her nest of fur pelts.
"How do you do?" she said with a playful wink.
"Crazybird? What kind of name is that?" Kludd scoffed.
Gruff and Crazybird frowned at their guest's question. Haven't this owl ever heard of manners?
"Okay smart one." Crazybird said, "What's your name then?"
Kludd growled softly at the teasing tone in her voice. "Kludd." he replied.
Crazybird suddenly burst out laughing, becoming a feathery ball of laughter as she rolled around in her furry nest like she had just heard a good joke.
Kludd's eyes flashed angrily. "What's so funny?" he hissed dangerously.
Gruff chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "It's nothing insulting. She's just like that sometimes." the wolf said while flipping the cooking fox carcass over.
Kludd said nothing in return but only glare at the female Tyto as she continued to laugh. He needs to get out of here and find the Pure Ones. He wasn't sure, so far, what has happened during the battle in the Beaks. But something tells him that things didn't go according to Metalbeak's plan. After a few seconds of silence he finally opened his beak. "Where am I?" he asked.
"Ambala." Gruff replied, removing the now cooked carcass from the fire and placing it on a flat rock to cool.
Kludd jumped back slightly from the shock. "How did I get her?" he then asked.
Gruff gestured his head at Crazybird. "She brought you here." he replied, smirking at Kludd's dismayed expression.
That owl carried him here from the Beaks? And from his point of view she looked as though she couldn't even carry ten voles at once. "How did you find me?" he asked the black and white Tyto.
Crazybird smiled before explaining the same she told Gruff earlier. "And that's how you got here." she finished.
Kludd's face held no emotion. He didn't know wether he should thank her or feel embarrass that it was a girl who saved him. He just thanked Glaux that the other Pure Ones or Soren didn't know about this.
"Ahhhh. Finally done." Gruff smiled softly before removing the cooked fox carcass from the flat rock and placing it near the fire. Crazybird hopped out of her nest and eagerly walked over. Kludd watched silently from his spot as he watched the wolf tear off a leg and giving it to Crazybird. There was a grumble coming from his stomach and Kludd blushed slightly in embarrassment. Truthfully, he hasn't eaten for several days now, and he was hungry.
As if reading his mind, Gruff tore off the second leg and tossed it at Kludd. The cooked leg landed in front of Kludd's talons. Kludd looked at it with curiosity and uncertainty, having never seen food like this before. Since his hatching, Kludd had always eaten his food raw. Looking up at Gruff, the only reply he got was a smile before the wolf returned to feasting on the rest of the fox. He then turned his attention to Crazybird, who was happily chowing down on the cooked leg.
Turning back to his own share, Kludd hesitantly lowered his beak before taking a small bite out of it. As soon as the piece went down his throat, Kludd's eyes suddenly blazed with life. Good Glaux, this has got to be the greatest thing he has ever eaten in his life! He immediately took a large chunk out of the leg and immediately devoured it. Crazybird smirked and leaned over to Gruff.
"I think he likes it." she whispered in his ear.
A while later, after Gruff had tossed the bones into the fire, the trio returned to that moment of silence. Kludd, not knowing what else to say, just watched as Crazybird and Gruff chat about stuff he never really found interesting. After a while he noticed that Crazybird was now looking at him. "So what's your story?" she suddenly asked.
"Wha?" Kludd asked, taken by surprise.
Crazybird giggled. "Why were you in the Beaks surrounded by fire?" she asked.
Aw racdrops! Why didn't he see this coming?! They were bound to ask him anyway so what the Hagsmire? But Kludd couldn't tell them that he was a Pure One! They might tell the Guardians or worse! Biting his tongue, Kludd finally came up with a reasonable answer, "I was flying through the Beaks when I...crashed into a tree."
Kludd would've sighed in relief when he saw the smaller barn owl smile.
"What in Lupus's name were you doing flying in the Beaks during a forest fire? Are you a Collier?" Gruff asked.
A what? Kludd thought. "Uh...er...no. I was...just taking a small flight. That's all." Kludd replied.
Gruff arched a brow but merely shrugged before laying his head on his paws, staring into the fire.
Crazybird then stood up and stretched her wings. "Hey Gruff! Is it okay that I go for a flight?" she asked.
Gruff raised his head. "Alright, just don't leave the forest." he said. His tone reminded Kludd of a concerned parent. Crazybird nodded and flew silently out of the cave into the night sky.
Kludd watched with bitter envy. He yearned to take to the skies once more, but thanks to that damn brother of his he couldn't. Gruff layed his head back on his paws and continued to stare into the flames. He was deeply concerned for the black and white barn owl. Not that she was a trouble maker or anything, but the girl tended to be a little..mental, at times. Glaux knows how she felt when that horrific day occurred. But he rather not talk about it. For now he needed to concentrate on their healing guest. Gruff knew the barn owl was hiding something, he just knew it.
Meanwhile, Kludd continued to watch the wolf. He noticed that the wolf was missing part of his left ear. His grey coat was actually a mix of white and silver. This was the strangest wolf he's ever seen up close. As a hatchling, he remember peeking out of the hollow once in a while to see a wolf or two simply passing by. But when it comes to living so high up, they looked so tiny. But now that he's close and personal with one, Kludd could realise just how big these animals can get. Kludd wanted to chat with the wolf, but he was afraid that the wolf would take it wrongly. Kludd shuffled his talons slightly, completely bored out of his mind.
This caught Gruff's attention and turned his head over to look at Kludd. Kludd could feel those deep green eyes drill into his. "Do you know how to read?" he asked.
"Yes." Kludd replied slowly.
The wolf suddenly got up to all fours and he trotted over to a large trunk, where he flipped it open by using his muzzle and seemed to rummage though it. The wolf finally pulled his head out with a book held gently in his mouth. He walked over to Kludd and dropped the paperback book at Kludd's talons. Kludd picked it up and cocked his head. "What's this?" he asked, having never seen a book like this before.
"It's called a paperback." Gruff replied, returning to his spot by the fire. Kludd looked at the title: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
"Who's Harper Lee?" Kludd asked.
Gruff smiled softly. "It's the author of the book." he replied, not looking away from the fire.
Kludd looked back at the book. It looked old. The cover showed a hollow with two strange objects in it and the outline of a bird outside of it. Flipping the book open, he turned to the page that said 'chapter one' and begun reading.
XoX
Me: My English class actually had to read To Kill a Mockingbird and in the end we got to see the movie!
Nyra: I'd give it four and a half stars.
Kickback: I want my Primus damn waffles!
Me: Go away Kickback! This isn't a Transformers fic! You shouldn't even be here!
Kickback: I WANT WAFFLES!
Me: THAT'S IT! I'M CALLING SHRAPNEL!
Gruff: Please review.
