A/N: I would like to start this Authors note by apologizing for not having updated sooner. This year has been so crazy, and I've had so many other things to write, that I just couldn't find the time. And when I did find time, I couldn't think of anything to type. But, I am glad to say that I am back in the typing mood and ready to crank out some chapters XD
I will not keep you waiting any longer. Without further ado...
Disclaimer: I do not own the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. It is the property of Mrs. Lasky and Scholastic Books. However, all of the characters mentioned in this chapter are mine with the exception of Barran.
I stared speechless at the apparition before my eyes. How is this possible? But there he stood, staring at me with his pale, yet strangely alive looking eyes. The very owl who had turned me into this. The memory of that night sent a flood of anger coursing though my veins.
"You!" I sneered. Strangely, my beak refused to open.
"Yes," he responded without moving his beak. Apparently we didn't need that ability to communicate. "Did you expect someone else?"
I started to argue, but after some thought, realized that he was right. "So, what did you do to me."
But he didn't listen. Instead, the scroom stared at me and began to speak.
"Baron Marshal, you have been chosen by Glaux to fulfill the mission I was unable to finish in life. You have been sent to protect one who cannot hide from their own fate and keep the world in balance."
"What?" I asked, "What are you talking abou..."
"Second," he cut in again, "as your journey grows more difficult and your path is unsure, seek out the cackling bard." The ghost of the Barred owl locked eyes with me, "Become the Guardian." With those words, he gave a single flap of his wings, then disappeared into the mist, leaving me alone to solve his riddles.
What does he mean? I thought, Protect those who can't hide from fate? How can I protect somebody from fate?
I silently pondered what the bird said until I felt a sharp crack to the back of my head. A moment later, my entire world went black.
I awoke feeling nauseous. My head pounded from it's sudden impact with the heavy chunk of wood and my stomach roiled. I slowly cracked my eyes open to take in my surroundings.
I was in what appeared to be a hole in the ground. Probably the work of a few Burrowing owls. The moister was so thick that my feathers stuck to my skin. A few coals in the corner cast an erie glow around the room.
A moment later, I felt something jabbing into my lower back, "Don't turn around unless you want to die." Instructed a deep voice
I didn't dare turn to see who it was. The stranger spoke with a thick German accent. Or whatever the owl equivalent of German was.
"Good," he said, "Now, here is what you are going to do. You see coals?" I nodded my head.
"I have bag filled with stones. You make thirty sets of demon claws in three days and I let you live to see fourth. Understand?"
I assumed he was talking about Battle Claws, "Thirty in three days? That's impossible! There's no way..." I was cut short as the owl shoved the weapon a little harder into my back, causing me to wince.
"You learn at tree. I've seen how fast you tree owls make demon claws. I return in three nights. You will be done." It was more of a statement than a question.
"And what's stopping me from flying off?" I asked.
"If you run, I will hunt you, and I will find you. Got it?"
"Got it." I responded.
"I leave now. You will count to thirty, then you may turn around. If you turn before thirty, you die."
He removed the blade, causing small rivulets of blood to run down my back as I began counting. "One, two, three, four..." I heard the owl's footsteps slowly retreating down the tunnel, then silence.
"...eleven, twelve, thirteen..." Is he still watching?
"...nineteen, twenty, twenty-one..." The silence had become deafening. He had to be gone. But what if he wasn't?
"...twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty."
I opened my eyes but didn't turn immediately. I listened for even the slightest noise, the tap of a talon, the rustle of a feather, anything that would that would tell me if the other owl was still there.
Silence.
I slowly rotated my head. He was gone.
I turned to make my way out of the cave when my foot brushed against a burlap sack. What do we have here?
I used my talons to untie the small piece of string. The bag fell open to reveal an assortment of ores and metals. I sifted through the piles of iron, copper, a few random stones, and some coal. They really didn't know what they were doing. Rogue smiths hadn't figured out a use for coal yet, so it was considered a "useless metal". Had the other owl known this, he wouldn't have given me any.
As well as a few tools, I found a small bag buried under all the other stones. When I opened it, I was shocked to see a mass of small bits of metal all sticking together.
"Flecks!" I breathed. They really didn't know what they had. Flecks were highly valued and wouldn't be given out so lightly.
Maybe it's St. Aggies? I thought, No, that can't be. They might not be the brightest owls, but they definitely wouldn't give flecks out to random Smiths.
I debated the possibility that this was the Pure Ones' doing. No, they wouldn't give out flecks either. Heck, they have Ezylryb in a Devil's Triangle right now!
The thought of Ezylryb's plight gave me an idea. I looked again at the materials that the owl had provided, a plan forming in my head. I grabbed up the prongs and stoked the fire in the forge. If it was weapons the owl wanted, it was weapons he was going to get!
I stood on an outcropping that overlooked the cave which I had spent the last three days in. The rising sun glinted off my newest contraption, a copper helmet which now covered my head. It wasn't anything fancy, just an elongated bowl with a slit up the center which then branched off, making a 'T', allowing me to see and breath.
The rock beneath my feet clicked every time I tapped the deadly blade of the battle claw attached to my foot impatiently.
"Where is he?" I muttered to myself.
A speck in the distance drew my attention. Yes, it was definitely an owl. Spotted by the looks of it. As he came closer, I saw that, clenched in his talon, was a blade of some sort. It looked kind of like a butchers knife, only much bigger. I also noted a quiver strapped to his waist. What? I thought, No bow?
He was flying straight towards the hollow. I wonder how long it will take him to find me?
As if in answer, the other owl's head swiveled to face me. His gaze locked with mine. A long, jagged scar ran from the bird's forehead to his left cheek, crossing his eye, which he now held half open.
This is it.
I watched and waited. As he came closer, I started to panic. Did I place it right? Of course I did. It worked when I tested it.
At that moment, the Spotted Owl's face turned to one of confusion. He turned mid-dive and flew straight towards one of the many boulders that littered the landscape around here. A moment later, he noticed his mistake and veered to his left, flying directly into another rock. He braced himself for the impact, shoulder slamming into the solid surface, before he fell to the ground, where he lay perfectly still.
Is he dead? I thought.
He rolled over onto his stomach and stood up, gripping his injured shoulder with his opposite wing.
"What is this?" The dazed owl asked, "What is this magic?"
"It's not magic," I stated cooly, "That's a Devil's Triangle."
"I'll kill you!" the owl cursed. I smirked before turning to leave.
He shouted more obscenities, but his voice faded in the distance. Copper, or mu metal, helmets block out more than just magnetic fields, it seems. Well, there's one problem dealt with. It'll take him a while to figure how to get out of that. Just as long as nobody at the tree finds out that I used higher magnetics...
The thought of the tree triggered a flood of memories. In every one, Neera's face was the most prominent feature. I thought about the first time I'd seen her, the way the moonlight in my hollow set ablaze the white feathers on her face, the way she would smile while we flew together at night flight, the way she would fluff up a bit when she laughed, her breathtaking form flying away from me while I sat alone in the spirit woods.
I shook my head. This was no time to dwell on the past. Right now I had to focus on escape. I had gotten away for a little while, but if he was as good of a hunter as he claimed to be, then I didn't have long.
My first task was to figure out where I was. The rocky terrain left no doubt in my mind that I was in the Beaks. The sun rises in the East, so I just had to set a course 90ยบ west of the rising sun. With any luck, I would be at the shoreline of the Sea of Hoolemere in three days time.
I had been flying for about an hour when an unfamiliar bird call reached my ear-slits. It wasn't like any bird I'd ever heard. As I looked to my left, I saw a black feathered bird with a pointed beak flying beside me. For the most part, he was looking straight ahead, but he would occasionally look at me and caw in that awful crackled voice. After a few moments, I heard a similar cry to my right. When I looked, a blackbird was there as well.
"Crows" I whispered under my breath. Not now. This is the last thing I need! A moment later, I heard the flapping of not two, but five pairs of wings behind me. I turned to look at the one on my left when I felt beak close down on my right wing. When I turned to deal with that crow, the one on my left scratched at me with his talons, sending a wave of pain up my wing. They're mobbing me! I thought.
The one to my right was about to attack. I could feel it. I suddenly dropped in altitude right as the wretched bird tried to throw himself at me. Instead, he slammed into the crow on my left, sending them both into a spiral.
I had to act now while the three behind me were still recovering. I adjusted my wings and flew straight up for a moment, before reversing again and landing on the center one's back. My battle claws made quick work of this one, and I sent him tumbling to the ground in a heap of blood and feathers.
Two more left. The one on my right lunged at me, talons extended. I reached out with my battle claws and took ahold of the smaller bird's feet. Throwing my weight forward, I performed a summersault, throwing the blackbird into his doomed partner. The two of them tumbled to the ground. I didn't so much as wince when I heard the dull thud of impact.
The two who still lived were quick to retreat. They had met their match.
Me.
Wait, me? How did I do that? I've only been flying for like, what, a month? How did I know all those moves?
I would have to think on this later. At the moment, I had to find somewhere to rest. It didn't matter how much danger I was in, or that I was being followed by an expert hunter. I couldn't keep fighting crows.
I scanned the ground for a suitable place to perch for the day. But all I could find were rocks. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. No trees to be seen.
The sound of a rodent scampering around below caught my attention. I searched the ground until I found the mouse, then tucked my wings by my side. Extending my talons, I landed on the surprised animal which gave a short cry of panic. I ended his suffering quickly, bending to bite at his spine. The taste of his blood in my mouth made my gizzard rumble. A clean kill.
As I tore at my catch, my thoughts drifted to the fight. How did I do that? I can't fight! I can barely fly! It was like I just knew what to do. I've never even attempted half of those moves.
I flipped the last piece of meat into my mouth before turning my attention back to my current predicament. There's obviously no trees, but what about one of those holes in the ground?
It took several minutes of searching, but eventually I found one such of these holes and peered into the darkness. To my horror, the darkness was peering back.
I drew a sharp breath and took a step backwards, dropping into a defensive crouch. I didn't know what was in that hole, but it wasn't going to get the better of me. but instead of some terrifying beast, I was faced by a little fledgling owl. His big round eyes were in sharp contrast to his small body. His white fluff only went as far as the tops of his legs.
"Hi! My name's Sreek! What's your name?"
I stared at the little burrowing owl, not sure what to say. "H-hi. I'm Baron."
The little owl gasped. "Are you...the Barran? The queen of the great tree?"
The question caught me off guard. I glanced over my feathers and such to see what made him think that I was a female.
"Umm, no, actually. Barran's a queen, which means she's a female."
"So you're a female?" asked the little owl.
"No, I'm a male."
"Oh." He said, "What's does male and female mean?"
Just then, another burrowing owl came out of the hole. "Sreek, what are you doing up?" Called a distinctly male voice, "Don't you know that there are some bad owls out at d..." He paused as his head came out of the hole and he got his first look at me. I must have looked intimidating, my helmet and blood-stained battle claws shining in the sunlight.
"You get back!" He yelled, pushing his son behind him.
"But da! It's Barran! The Queen of Ga'Hoole! Just like in the stories you told me!"
"I've already told you! I'm not that Barran, I'm another Baron!"
"So, You're not Barran?" Asked the father of the young owl.
"Yes! I mean no. I mean...I'm Baron, but not that Barran!"
"Which Barran?"
"I'm...she...not...Ahh!" I shouted in exasperation, ripping the helmet from my head and throwing it aside.
"I get it!" Shouted the father, "You're not Barran, the queen of Ga'Hoole, but rather Baron, the random Barred Owl?"
"Yes! I shouted, "Wait, some random owl?"
The male owl seemed unfazed by my question. "Well, state your intentions, Baron."
I realized that I still seemed threatening, even without my helmet, so I quickly undid my battle claws and threw them to the side. "Sir, I must find a place to spend the day. Would you allow me to sleep here for a few hours before nightfall?"
"I don't know..." The father was interrupted by a female voice calling out from inside the hollow. "Zarias! Who are you talking to at this time of the morning?"
Out of the hole popped the head of a female burrower, who fixed me with her gaze. "Who is this?" She asked.
"This is Baron. He wants to spend the day with us."
The female stared at me for a moment, then seemed to focus on my wings. The female's face instantly changed from one of suspicion to one of caring. "Oh dear! You're injured! Come in, come in!"
"Darling, we don't know anything about this owl. For all we know, he'll kill us all in our sleep!"
The female rolled her eyes and made a clicking sound with her tongue. "Oh Zari, you can't be suspicious all the time! After all, if he had wanted to kill us, he would have done it already, hmm?" She looked towards her mate, clearly expecting a reply.
"I suppose he can come in," The male said grudgingly, "but I still don't like it."
The female ignored her husband's last statement and instead turned to me. "Come inside! I'll mix you a poultice. We'll have you fixed up in no time!"
The female led me inside and bandaged my injured wing before showing me where I was to sleep for the day. As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but think one more thing in that time when you're not quite awake, yet not fully asleep. I'm on my way home, Neera.
I awoke after what felt like a few minutes. I wasn't sure what had woken me, but I refused to open my eyes. It's too early to wake up!
I tried to take in my surroundings without opening my eyes. All I could hear was a constant dripping. What was that?
A moment later, I heard a clap of thunder. Figures there would be leaks. I miss the hollows back at the tree.
I was disrupted from my thought of home by the feeling of water touching my foot. Oh gosh! This leak is bad. I moved my foot out of the puddle and realized that the water was warm and sticky. A sense of foreboding filled my chest. Whatever I was standing in, it wasn't water. I resisted the temptation to open my eyes, which brought to my attention that there was no light filtering in through the opening to the hollow. There should be light if it was still day out, even if there was a storm. Why was it so dark?
I slowly cracked my eyes open. Something was obscuring my vision. I backed up a bit to see what it was, but it was too dark. A flash of lightning lit up the interior of the hollow, and for a moment, I was able to clearly see Zarias hanging from his feet from the roof, eyes wide, a gash in his throat, blood dripping off his head. I jumped back from the gruesome image. What's happening?
A quiet sob came from somewhere behind me, and I turned around to see the tiny form of Sreek laying over the body of his mother who's face was thankfully turned away from me.
"Mum? Mum? Wake up mum. Please? Mum!"
I tried to speak, but nothing came out. I tried to take a step forward, but something kept me rooted to the spot.
A scraping sound to my right drew my attention. There stood my hunter, his knife in one talon, a rock in the other. He kept running the rock along the blade of the knife, sharpening the tool of death.
"Take good look." He said in his thick accent. "You caused this." He ran the rock along the edge of his blade again. "Pity." He started, his slowly looked up from the blade, "I thought killing you would be much more enjoyable."
I opened my beak to speak, but the other owl lunged at me, pinning me to the ground and pressing his knife to my throat. I tried to scream, but nothing came out.
"Good night, Baron."
"No!" I shouted as I shot forward from my sleeping position, three sets of eyes staring at me.
"Are you okay?" Asked Zarias.
"Wow! You screamed really loud!" commented Scree.
"I shouldn't have come here!" I shouted. The two adults looked confused.
"I'm sorry I've brought you into this. I'm being chased by this spotted owl. He says he's a tracker. And now I've put your family in danger! I'm so sorry!"
"Shh, shh," The female comforted. "It was just a bad dream."
"It's not a dream! It's happening!"
Zarias spoke up, "Did this owl have a scar down his left eye?"
"Yes, He did."
"Frink." the other owl cursed, his mate cringing at the word, "That's Dominik. He's bad news. Why didn't you tell us before?"
"I don't know! I was scared and I needed somewhere to stay. With everything else, I guess I just didn't think to mention it. I'm so sorry!"
The other owl held up a wing, "It's already done. What's important now is getting out safely. Tell me, Baron, where was it that you were heading before you stopped? Where you returning to your family?"
"No, actually, I was heading for the tree."
"What tree?"
"The tree. Of Ga'Hoole?"
The female owl threw her head back and laughed. "Are you yoiks? The tree of Ga'Hoole doesn't exist!"
Her mate, on the other hand, wasn't laughing. "No. We aren't going there." He said resolutely.
The female stared at him, a look of confusion on her face. "Because it's not real, right? We're not going because it's not real?"
"Oh, believe me, Lari, It does exist! There is indeed a race of stuck up scholars and poets who stay in their big social club all night. There is no way under Glaumora that we are going there."
Lari starred at her mate, "You've got to be joking! The tree's just a myth! A story that we tell our son when he can't get to sleep!"
"No!" piped in Scree who had remained silent for most of the conversation, "It's not just a story. It's real!"
"Yes, son, it's real. And we're not going."
"But we don't have a choice!" I shouted. What was it with this owl? What did he hate so much about the great tree?
"Look, I..." Zarias stopped his explanation and listened intently.
"I hear wingbeats." He stated. A pang of fear welled up in my chest
"We need to get out of here!" I ordered.
Lari began to argue, "Bu..."
"Now!"
"There's a rear exit." Stated Zarias, "We can sneak out that way."
"Mum? What's going on?"
"Shh," The mother soothed her child, "Everything's going to be alright."
The male burrowing owl rolled away a stone to reveal a small passageway, just big enough for a burrowing owl to fit through. Zarias rushed the rest of his family into the hole, then looked at me.
"Can you fit?" he asked.
I tried to fit my head into the tiny opening, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it.
The father turned to his wife, "Darling, listen, I need you to take Scree to the mesquite."
"Bu..."
"Please. We'll meet you there." With that, he rolled the stone back over the hole in the ground.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"We're taking the long way."
"No." I ordered, "It's my fault your family is in danger. I won't let you put your life at risk."
"I agree, my family is in danger." He stated, "And I intend to keep them out of it."
I nodded. Nothing I could say was going to sway this resolute father. The two of us made our way to the hollow entrance. I slowly stuck my head out of the hole and checked my surroundings.
It was full night now. There might have been a moon out, but the dark clouds that were already covering the sky didn't let it show. It smelled like rain.
The flapping sound had stopped.
"Clear." I whispered behind me. The two of us made our way to the first rock and to the relative safety of the shadows. I did a quick sweep of the ground and air behind us to check for motion.
Nothing.
I nodded at Zarias who nodded back before peering around our cover. After a moment, he motioned with his wing to move. I went first, running as fast as I could. Five feet. Ten feet. Twenty feet. I was almost there. Just one more hurdle, a small stone that lay in my path. I vaulted myself over the rock, glancing down to see if I cleared it. Shockingly, the rock was looking back.
I stumbled when I hit the ground. What the...? The rock, which I now found to be a small bundle of black feathers, continued to look at me with dull, yellow eyes. I grabbed to body with my talon and drug it to cover. When Zarias got there, He looked at the bird with curiosity.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Don't know. He was in my way."
Zari bent down to examine the bird, rolling onto its back to get a closer look. "A crow." He stated. He examined the blackbird closer. "Wound to the neck." He stated, "lots of blood." Without warning, the burrowing owl flipped the crow onto it's front and pecked at its spine, instantly ending the blackbird's life.
"What was that for?" I asked.
"He was finished. He wasn't going to survive." He reassured me, "He definitely wouldn't have lived after I did this." Zarias bit at something in the wound. With a little tug, he withdrew what appeared to be a needle.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I don't know." He said, spitting the foreign object at my feet. "I was about to ask you the same question."
I shrugged. Something kept tugging at the back of my mind. I swear I've seen this before. But where?
"We need to move." Zarias reminded me.
"Right."
I slowly edged my head around the boulder, being careful not to make any sudden movements. One shape stuck out to me. It was slightly ovular, sitting on top of one of the rocks. I peered hard at the thing, trying to make out details in the darkness. A sudden flash of lightning from behind me lit up the landscape, and in that split second, I locked eyes with my hunter.
I yanked my head back around the rock. "He's there. I think he saw me."
"Are you sure?" Zarias asked. I heard a hissing noise, and one of those needles slammed into the rock right beside my head.
"Pretty sure!"
"Move!" The other owl shouted.
We sprinted around the rock, the sound of flapping wings close on our tails. I ran as fast as I could, trying to keep up with Zarias' twisting and weaving through the rocks. After a few seconds, though, I lost sight of the smaller bird. Frink! I forgot how fast burrowers were!
I listened for the sound of wingbeats behind me, but couldn't hear any. I glanced over my shoulder to see where our pursuer had gone. He wasn't there.
I dug my heels into the earth and slid to a stop. What's happening? I rotated my head back and forth, searching the terrain around me and listening for any sign of movement. I heard nothing. I saw nothing.
Had Dominik left? What was going on? Where was Zarias? This last question was the most disturbing. Should I call out to him? No. I just have to look.
I started into a slow jog, being careful to make as little noise as possible. Where was he? I looked at my feet and noticed something I hadn't seen before: The remnants of tiny owl footprints. They wrapped around the rock in front of me before disappearing out of sight. How did I not notice that before? I mentally slapped myself before following the tracks.
I curved between the boulders, following my tiny friend's footprints. Every corner I came to seemed like a threat. I knew Dominik was still out there, and every time I came around one of the large stones, I expected to come talon to talon with the deadly hunter.
After several twists and turns, I stopped dead in my tracks. I heard something up ahead. It sounded like a stifled cry followed by a thud.
I stepped around the corner. There in front of me stood Dominik. He had Zarias pinned to the ground with one of his talons.
I felt a drop of rain hit the feathers on top of my head.
"There you are." The spotted owl stated, "Thank you for finally joining us."
A/N: I know, another cliff hanger. Yes, the last one didn't turn out so well, but I promise I won't keep you waiting for nearly as long for the next chapter. This time it will only take two months XD
(Just kidding)
Also, I posted a picture of Baron and Neera on Devientart. Now, I'm not that good of an artist, but hey, it gets the main idea down. My profile name is the same as the one here: Hodgepodge11. If you check it out, just know that I drew Baron first. That's why he isn't as good as Neera. He was kind of my experimental owl XD
Anyway, I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a comment!
