Chapter 5

Kludd watched anxiously over the horizon as the stars sparkled like mica in the sky. Earlier this evening. he had sent Banshee-with Stryker in tow-out to find Horus, a rogue smith who made his residence in Tyto and was one of the best in the Southern Kingdoms. It was Horus who claws Kludd had once admired on another owl one summer day when he was younger, and it was later Horus who had forged him his first metal mask and the battle claws he used to kill the old High Tyto. He had a fine craftsmanship to his work, and over the years, him and Kludd had developed a solid partnership that usually involved Horus fashioning a set of claws or a mask, and Kludd, in return, giving Horus killshares or hunting rights in certain territories. If Kludd wanted to succeed in his siege, he and the Pure Ones would need Horus' talents more than ever.

Early on, however, Kludd and Nyra had a discussion of a lighter nature: the matter of chicks. Kludd smiled to himself as he remembered the amount of time they had spent coming up with names for their little owlets, as they had earlier decided they wanted two-one boy and one girl. "For the boy," Nyra chirped, "Cobie Topaz." "And for a girl I'm sure will be as beautiful as her mother," Kludd cooed, earning a riffle from Nyra, "Bonnie Joy." Kludd's gizzard gave a little squeeze as he remembered the smile on Nyra's face when they were discussing their chicks, which they had decided to lay the eggs for in the great tree. She was the most precious thing Glaux had ever bestowed upon Kludd, and the idea of starting a family at the great tree seemed to sow seeds of hope within Kludd's gizzard. He was imagining teaching his owlets to read and giving Bonnie battle claw lessons when a shree let him know that Banshee had returned.

Regaining focus, Kludd turned around to find Banshee perched in front of him, head bowed in obeisance. "My lord," he began, "I bring you grave tidings." He then paused, unsure of what to say, before continuing. "Horus has flown away to glaumora, and me and Lieutenant Stryker have flown through Tyto, Kuneer, Ambala, The Beaks, The Barrens, and The Shadow Forest; not a single rogue smith in any of these kingdoms will forge a single thing for us." Kludd was both alarmed and saddened at this news; he had admired Horus' artistry ever since he had become acquainted with the smith, and he would miss it-and him-dearly. Kludd then went into deep thought before speaking again. "Are there any kingdoms you haven't looked?"

"Well, there's the canyonlands, Beyond the Beyond, and... Silverveil." Kludd could easily sense the reluctance in Banshee's voice, and Kludd understood it quite well. Silverveil had been the hatching kingdom of their dear friend Garth, and it had been where Kludd, Banshee, Blaze, Diamondclaw, and Nyra had held the Final ceremony for him shortly after he had been murdered by Purge-his own father. The very thought of it sent a mixture of both anger at Purge and sadness at the loss through Kludd's gizzard; Garth would've made a great Pure One, he just knew it.

"Your Pureness," Stryker cut in, "there's a rogue smith out in Silverveil who is particularly well-known. A female, granted, and not a Tyto, but they say she trained under Orf himself." Orf was perhaps one of the most well-known rogue smiths in the Northern Kingdoms, and he was said to be a master. "As much as I can't believe my own beak, I do believe she might be able to help us in our quest."

Kludd silently railed at the disparaging note in Stryker's voice. "Have you forgotten, Stryker," he replied, a note of menace in his voice, "that several of our best warriors are females, as is our second in command?" The statement was as true as any out of Kludd's beak; Morgana and Nyra, who were best friends during training, made for a formidable team in combat, and not only was Blaze's rage in battle unequaled, she had been trained to attack undetected in every environment imaginable. Despite the evidence, however, Stryker seemed to be under the belief that females were inferior-a belief that rankled Kludd to no end. Nevertheless, the prospect of meeting such a rogue smith intrigued and excited Kludd, and he soon sent for Uglamore, another lieutenant, who soon arrived.

"Arrange for a contingent to fly with me to Silverveil." Kludd ordered. "There is a rogue smith there that I wish to speak to." Uglamore quickly nodded and flew off, and Banshee crept tentatively towards Kludd. "Are you sure, "Your Pureness?" He asked, his voice quivering with grief.

Kludd then turned towards Banshee and reached a wing out towards him reassuringly. "I'm sure, old friend. I'm sure."

Kira looked around the parliament, eyes wide at the sheer amount of owls gathered. The news of what had happened had clearly spread quickly, and many owls were now whispering amongst themselves, while others simply looked towards the entrance, waiting. At long last, Starr flew through the entrance to the parliament hollow, and Kira felt her gizzard shake with anger. She could barely look at the owl.

Shortly after the incident, Kira had spoken to Adalia and asked what happened. It soon turned out to be more serious than Kira originally thought; Adalia told her that she had wanted to impress Sylvana, the tracking ryb, and secure a chance in the tracking chaw, so using Starr's feathers, she had tracked him all the way to a grove of birch trees on the far side of Hoole, where she noticed him talking to a white Barn Owl-the exact same Barn Owl Dewlap had been seen with earlier, Kira suspected. Upon seeing that, Adalia became quite frightened and flew off, but she was clearly louder than she thought, for soon Starr was behind her. Rather than get mad at her, Starr apparently praised her for being so clever and had supposedly given Adalia the berries as a special treat before Athena intercepted. "Those are hag's berries," Kira later told her, "and they are very poisonous. You must promise to never, ever, try and eat one again." "I promise." Adalia replied quietly. Kira had later relayed this to Barran, and now Starr would be tried for his crimes.

"Starr Chronos Elthin," Barran began, "Kira has now spoken to Adalia, and our suspicions have been confirmed: not only did you attempt to poison Adalia, but Adalia reports seeing you talking to a white Barn Owl-an owl whom Kira suspects to be an enemy of Ga'Hoole. What have you to say in your defense?"

For a moment, there was an eerie silence in the parliament hollow, and Kira couldn't help but notice that Dewlap had wilfed. Then, at last, Starr replied, in a voice as cold as iron, "I do not have to justify myself to the spawn of a Pure One!"

"That Pure One spawn," Ezylryb growled, "saved multiple lives and is now a respected member of the search-and-rescue chaw; that is exactly what Her Majesty is asking you to do." Kira then turned her head and blinked gratefully at the old Whiskered Screech; like Barran and the navigation ryb Strix Struma, Ezylryb had welcomed Kira with open wings.

Barran then flew down towards Starr, dipping her head until she was eye level with the Spotted Owl. "I am very disappointed in you, Starr." she sighed. "I had tapped you for the search-and-rescue chaw because I thought of you as a noble owl. Have you no loyalty to Ga'Hoole?"

Starr then looked her in the eyes, his filled with hatred. "I lost all my loyalty," he hissed, "when you welcomed that hag's spawn into the chaw!"

Suddenly Hazel, who had been in the parliament hollow during the trial, flew towards her brother, a look of pure rage in her eyes. "That hag's spawn," she shrieked hotly, "is more loyal and noble than you will ever be!" "Enough!" Barran hooted, dismissing Hazel with a wave of her wing before turning back to Starr. "In that case, you leave me no choice." Barran replied. "From this moment on, Starr, you have been exiled from the great tree, and no owl will be allowed to welcome you into their hollows. Go now."

With that, Starr made his way towards the entrance to the parliament hollow, but not before turning towards Kira and giving her a poisonous look. "You're lucky this time." He hissed. "Let's see what happens when you don't have Barran to protect you."

Kira, for her part, simply returned Starr's glare. "Anytime, Starr." she replied, her voice level, and watched as Starr flew out of the parliament-and away from the tree for good.

A/N: Ooooohhhh, snap! So as you can see, Kludd has found out about the Rogue Smith of Silverveil and Starr has been banished from the tree. Needless to say, this is a bit of a shorter chapter than usual, I apologize; I am very worn out. Any thoughts? As always, show some love and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Guardians of Ga'Hoole; full credit goes to Kathryn Lasky