Chapter Two: Hatching Her Plan

Katha's been opened in a silent shriek. Wings flapped and her eyelids fluttered as her dream turned dark.

She was going yeep over a sea. No, it wasn't a sea. It was...Hoolemere...Blood. The water turned thicker and red as she struggled. The churring of an unseen owl shook her rattled body. The talons of an icy owl raked down her back in chills. She raised her claws, her battle claws. There were no waves. The sea slowly turned to a cloud of masked attackers.

"Get up! Katha! Get up..."

Someone else was shoving her from side to side. Another foe rose from the bloody water to strike her down. Katha raised her wings to shield her now red face from the blow...

"GET UP YOU FRINKING IDIOT!" Ava exclaimed, nearly shoving Katha off her perch with a smack from her foot.

"What..." Katha blinked open her eyes. "Ava?"

"Yes, Katha?" Ava snapped sarcastically.

"What happened?" her friend asked.

"Well, you nearly woke every owl from here to Kuneer with your screaming!" Ava exclaimed in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry," Katha murmured and started preening. She could feel Ava's confused eyes on her as she ran her beak over her secondary feathers. Ignoring her friend, she turned away from Ava like she was getting tired. By the time she had reached her coverts Ava was asleep.

She didn't feel like sleeping. Keeping her wings even quieter than usual, Katha flew down to the hidden hollow where she kept her battle claws.

The reflection from the metal shined in her black eyes. The metal claws were beautiful and haunting to the young barn owl. Only a few months ago she had used them like many owls before her. The shadows created the illusion of blood on the tips.

Katha suddenly felt like yarping up a pellet. Oh Glaux! she thought, Don't let me be sick on my battle claws!

Nudging them until the the disturbing image was only a memory, she felt content to know these had been on the feet of her mother before her.

Yes, she remembered what the supreme tyto had told her, My poor parents. They were such loyal members of the Pure Ones, she told me. How sad they were killed by those...those lying, sprinking Guardians.

Rage destroyed every bit of her that once felt queasy. The yearning for revenge gnawed away at the owl's gizzard. Those faking liars! I'll die before I see them win a battle.

Katha's eyes danced with giddy delight in the thought of death. Blood no longer frightened her as she remembered the terrible things Nyra had said the Guardians had done to her family. A blood-lust to strong for one owl slowly crept into her thoughts.

"I'll destroy you," she muttered to herself, "I'll wait until my last gasp to admit defeat."

"K-Katha?" Ava said, "Where..."

Katha flew back to the hollow she and Ava shared. The battle claws laid silently on the floor like a shattered owl.

"Just...just getting some air," Katha yawned, returning to her perch.

Ava glared at her. "You sure you're okay, Katha?"

Katha nodded against her will. She couldn't admit her desire for revenge to her friend yet. She couldn't admit it to anyone. She had plans to make.

She had plans to hatch.

I know that was short like the prologue, but I didn't want anything else to happen in this chapter and too much fluff gets sort of boring after a while. Does anyone else think Katha is on the road to insanity? (My Sis said that about her.)