Chapter 2 - Three unlikely owls (And one to be expected)
The dream began to fade after the deal had been made. The two cats walked away as Sara's sight dimmed, until she opened her eyes to the quiet sound of the tree.
With her acute hearing, Sara could hear the quiet shuffling of the Hospital hallow being moved around in, with various owls helping mix and make medicines, and helping the wounded Guardians. Looking around her hallow, she confirmed that everything was in order, and took off. Wings beating silently, she got some distance from the tree just as the tree began to wake up in the early night. There were no other owls flying in the same direction as she was. Her gizzard clenched a little, but something in it felt right, so she continued on, although she was nervous.
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Landing on the skeletal branch of the bone-white tree, Sara closed her eyes for a moment. Her heart was fluttering, excited and nervous of meeting the other chosen owls. There were cats coming to the tree! She knew she shouldn't be excited; after all, it signalled that times had gotten very bad. However, she couldn't dismiss the fact that the idea of meeting another species as not exciting. Meeting the other owls, hand-picked by Gluamora and Starclan to defend and introduce the Cats to the tree, to make them fit in. She took a few deep breaths before continuing on her way to the meeting point. The whole way, she had been thinking of who may have been picked. Pluck might have. He was a large Great Grey with a talent for battle, or perhaps Lonu, a descendant of Soren himself. She had no idea why she of all owls had been picked. She had been brought in at a young age with her younger brother, Klukk, after a forest fire had swept through her home and caught her parents in the blaze. Sara shuddered mid-air, almost going yeep at the thought. While she was okay with fire in small amounts or even in the forge, she practically connected death anything bigger. She shook her head, and finally got there. Her breath hitched in her throat for a moment. Would the other owls approve of her, would she fit in? Without letting herself dwell on this any longer, she landed on the twisted pine she had heard the heartbeats of multiple owls come from, and looked around her in shock. Of all the owls she had considered, only one of them were here, and that was Lonu. There were four owls at the tree, counting her. There was Lonu, the rather cocky yet brave and loyal descendant of Soren, Harper, the quiet, bookish Snowy owl Sara had often seen in the library but rarely spoken anything but a hello to, and (the most surprising) was Ida, the loudmouthed, rude Spotted owl that had a particular dislike for Sara. While Ida gave Sara a short glare, Sara felt panic build up in inside herself.
"What are you doing here?" Ida said in a snooty voice. "You must think you were clever to follow one of us here, but you can leave now we're here on import busin-"
"Starclan." Sara said, and Ida clamped her beak shut. Harper, Sara was rather happy to see, seemed to be trying to supress laughter.
"Well, if you two are finished arguing, we have important things to discuss." Lonu said "The cats are arriving at Sundown tomorrow and we have to prepare for them." Sara suddenly realized something.
"Was anyone ever told how they would get here?"
Silence quickly took over the group, until Harper spoke up.
"Ivypetal mentioned the power of flecks and spirt." She said quietly.
"Whos Iv-" Sara started before remembering other cats would have been sent to different owls. "Sorry, go on." Harper nodded at her.
"She said there was a cave under an overhang where the two created a powerful influence. If the cats arrive there, then that's where we'll go. However, I think the biggest problem won' be the cats getting here." The other owls looked rather confused. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure the tree will exactly be happy with mini predators suddenly appearing in one of the safest places Hoolian kingdom." Sara started to click her beak nervously.
"I could talk to Witlim." Lonu said, referring the King of the Great Tree. "Tell him that they are special and needed. He'll listen to me, I have Sorens bl-"
"You have the great Sorens blood, we get it." Ida growled. "It's not just the king, but the idea of having cats in the great tree is alarming. What if one gets hungry and decides a nice small chick would make a nice lunch?"
"What if some owls attack them for fun, to be able to boast that they've fought, killed, and maybe even eat a cat?" Sara said, Ida's tone of voice making her angry. "Both sides could do wrong. What of the owls that go to their home? What if a nice small… Kit? Yeah, kit. What if they decide a nice small kit would make a nice snack?"
"But that's forbidden!" Ida said, voice scathing "We don't eat baby animals!"
"Well, then what says the cats don't either?" Harper said quietly, swooping down and landing between the two. "Besides, we'll provide them with food here anyway. No problems." All bickering faded, and the owls discussed where the cats would sleep and how they would great them, until it was midnight
"We have to get going." Lonu said "I'll go and talk to Witlim, and you three set up the empty hallow. I'll come and get you after my meeting." Everyone nodded, and took off together, heading back for the tree.
[ Hey there everyone! Thanks so much for reading! Please, if you read this, give me a review. I'd love to be able to help you out with the confusing parts. Oh, and name pronunciation:
Lonu ; Lon (As in long) –oo (As is food)
Ida; Eye-da
Witlim; Wit-limb ]
