Guardian of the Heart

by Supernova750

Tur, a young owl who is a cross between Barn Owl and Masked Owl, lives peacefully in the forest of Tyto with her Da, brother and step-mum until their hollow is raided by owls from St.Aegolius Academy of Orphaned Owls. Tur and her new friend, Cai, hold on by their memories of all the stories their parents told them about the owls of Ga'hoole and their hopes for rescue. Please R&R!

4. Chapter 4- Cai

Chapter 4

I gazed up at the moon, the glare of it's brightness like a needle trying to worm it's way into my brain. The cut on my forehead still ached and stung but I knew I wouldn't be able to ask anybody for help while I was here.

I felt a wing brush mine and looked up to see the black Barn Owl who had told us how to sleep standing next to me, number 29-3. "Don't fall asleep." he hissed out of the corner of his beak and I nearly gasped as a sleep correction monitor swooped past, his yellow eyes piercing through my soul as he hooed warningly, "Number 13-7, 29-3, quiet and go to sleep!"

I snapped my beak shut, my dark eyes bright with fear until the owl was well out of hearing range before I whispered back, "Why can't we sleep?"

"They're moonblinking us 13-7." 29-3 replied softly, his dark eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"Don't call me that!" I hissed, my eyes flashing for a moment, "My name is Tur!"

29-3 smiled slightly, "You don't know how good it is to hear something like that." he whispered, his eyes twinkling. "That means I'm not the only one who hates this place."

I shook my head slightly, "This place is Hagsmire." I whispered softly, "What do you mean by that they're moonblinking us?" The term sounded familiar but I couldn't put my talon on it.

"The full moon," the owl began to explain in a soft voice, "can mess with an owl's brain if they sleep, make them confused."

I slowly nodded, understanding, "Sort of like brainwashing?"

29-3 nodded, "A little."

"Who are you?"

"My name, well, my real name, is Cai." the black Barn Owl replied, smiling slightly.

"Well I'm Tur. Anyways, how do we resist moonblinking? You've obviously found a way to do it or I wouldn't be talking to you right now would I?"

Cai smirked slightly, "That's the genius of it. You need to remember your past. Repeat your name, your family members, your home, anything to keep you focused. And you can't fall asleep."

I nodded, fear flashing in my black eyes, "Won't they notice?"

"Obviously not. I've been here almost two weeks and they don't notice anything yet." Cai replied with a shrug.

A loud shriek pierced the air and Cai hissed, "Sleep alarm. Time for the sleep march."

I nodded and began shuffling along with the flow of owllets, muttering over and over, "Tur, Tur, Tur, Tur." I could hear Cai alongside me whispering, "Cai, Cai, Cai, Cai, Cai."

The second alarm came swiftly and we all stopped. "13-7." I murmured before resuming the sleep position. I remembered the black Barn Owl's advice and began whispering under my breath, "My name is Tur, my mum is dead but my step-mum is Sigg, my da is Joran, my brother is Huk, I am a Barn Owl and a Masked Owl, Tyto Alba and Tyto Novaehollandiae, from the forest of Tyto. I watched my parents murdered and I can't find my brother. I will be able to fly when I am about 70 days old because of my mixed heritage, I am 55 days old. I was almost ready to fly when I was snatched but I was too afraid to do anything."

I could hear Cai beside me, whispering his own past, "My name is Cai, my mum is Maerad and my da is Dorn, my brother is Cadvan, I am a Barn Owl, Tyto Alba. I was treated as an outsider because of my black plumage and my family abandoned me. I lived in Kuneer with a family of Burrowing Owls who took me in before I tried to move on and was snatched. I will be able to fly when I am 66 days old, I am 59 days old now. I can almost fly but I need more practice before I can escape. I am a free owl and I will resist."

I looked at Cai and he looked at me. Then we both shared a slight smile that made this dark place seem not quite so bad. The smile told me many things but the most important thing was that I wasn't alone anymore. And I could resist.

((A/N- Man, I'm getting these up pretty fast aren't I? Yeah, there might be a bit of a pause here while I consider plot angles and write the next few parts. Sorry it's not as long as the last Chapter but I had to get off and stuff and I'm also sorry that not a lot happened. Really sorry if to some of you this seems like a rewrite of Capture but the plot WILL change and branch off from the books soon enough, you just have to be patient and bear with me for a bit longer.))