Hi, beloved readers. I'm awfully sorry for the long delay but college is giving me a hard time these days. I get exam after exams and I need to study endlessly. Enough of me for now, this is the chapter that I promised you. Those with fragile hearts, bring your box of tissues with you as you'll need it if you are easily saddened. Anyway, behold chapter 7 of The 'Other' Guardian!

Chapter 7: The Rescue

I opened my eyes once more and when I looked around myself, I saw that I was in a cave. It looked familiar, though. As if I had already seen it before. I tried to get up but when I did, another owl in the cave stopped me from doing so. That owl also looked familiar to me but at the moment, I wasn't able to recognize the owl. All I remembered before I fell unconscious again was that this owl told me I was struck with a fever and that I should rest until I fully recovered.

How much time had passed since I woke up from my second blackout, I did not know. When I looked at the entrance of the cave, I noticed that the sun was still up and that there was no one inside near the cave. I got up and waddled right to the entrance but once there, I hear the sound of talons against the rocky floor of the cave.

"So, you're awake. You know, I don't really think you should be up now. You still need to rest, you wound hasn't completely healed yet."

"Hortense ... is that you?" I asked, finally recognizing the owl's voice.

"Why, yes it's me! Have you forgotten about me already, my friend," Hortense churred as she replied.

"Of course not!" I blurted out.

"But still, something puzzles me. How is it that I am in your cave, so far away from the Pure Ones's castle, and alive, by all means? I thought that I had been left for dead there," I continued. "after I fell from the castle's wall. Just before I fell, Nyra, my mother, inflicted this wound on my face. I think it was supposed to be lethal but an owlet saved me from death. And I think it's the owlet I am supposed to save.

"So, your very own mother would do this to you ... I must say, you should not consider that owl your mother if she inflicted this upon you."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that. She's already long gone in my mind after I managed to get so much information out of her," I informed Hortense.

"Good, but now what? What are you going to do now?" Hortense demanded.

"I'm going back there. If I'm to save that owlet, I need to do it tonight, if tonight is the night of the full moon. However, once I will have saved that owlet, I will have to lay low for a while. After all, I am supposed to be dead."

"I see — yes, that could be a very good idea — so that is your intention."

"Yes, no one must know that I am still alive. No yet, an especially not Nyra or Metal Beak," I said, omitting to mention Kludd's name on purpose.

"Well, in any case, to return to your first question: the reason you are here is because of one of my dreams. I sensed some sort of danger around you and so, I sent Streak to the castle of the Pure Ones during the day to be sure that none would dare attack him. From what he told me, you were lying on the ground, in a small puddle of you own blood, and you bore that wound on your face. He brought you here and upon seeing you in such a state, I went to fetch Slynella. You are lucky, for she could have killed you or left you for dead," Hortense explained.

"And just who might Slynella be?"

"She is a flying snake. Her venom, if used carefully, can kill or heal many wounds. It is thanks to her venom that you are still alive. I wanted to keep you here until you would have fully recovered but if it is your wish to leave, I shall not stop you."

"It is indeed my decision to take my leave but before I actually take my leave, I want to thank you for all of your help. You truly are a friend that I will cherish forever more," I told Hortense.

"Why, thank you, Kurth! Well, I guess this is where our paths part once more. Until we meet again, my friend," Hortense replied.

After that, I took off from Hortense's cave, or Mist as she was now known, and made my way back to the Pure Ones' stronghold, which was deeper into the Forest Kingdom of Ambala. This time, I had made up my mind; even if I didn't wars or the very concept of killing, I needed to fight and kill if I wanted to save that young owlet that had saved my life a few night ago.

If I needed to become a murderer, as Maritha saw me, to save the life of one small owlet, then so be it! Nothing in the world comes without a sacrifice and one measly life wouldn't affect the future very much. History wasn't something that many remembered correctly, so the death of one owl would be remembered by many, considering that Threka was part of the owls of St. Aggie's.

Back in my own time, some would have said that what I was determined to do was an offence to the god they praised. I couldn't care less because I didn't believe in that god to begin with. Anyway, the sun was still up and while I knew it was risky because of the crows, I had to fly fast if I wanted to arrive by the time the full moon would be high in the starry sky.

As strange as it was, no crows even dared to come near me. Perhaps the two crows that had escaped our bloody fight warned the others to stay away from me. Whatever the reason, it was a pretty good thing since nothing was there to stand in my way.

The winds were behind me and flight became much more easier for me. About halfway from my destination, my wings were beginning to feel sore and my vision was starting to blur. Suddenly, I started feeling something drip down on the feathers of my face. It wasn't long after that I realized it was my wound opening once more and while it wasn't a very large amount of blood that did come out of the gash, it was enough to make me go yeep.

As I fell, I saw that the fall alone could kill me, although it mostly depended on the way that I would hit the ground. No! I couldn't let it go now, I had a duty to accomplish and I well intended to to complete it. Death would not claim me just yet. There were still to many things of which I wanted to see, including the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

Not to forget Soren and Gylfie. I had to see for myself if they had to see the tree safely. Oh, and dear Serenade too! What had become of her? Did she successfully find her brother, Twilight? Had the leaders of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree offered her a sanctuary there? Would they do it for me, a murderer? Could I, a reaper of lives, be redeemed in some way? All those questions swirled inside my head and they proved just how much I wanted to live through this.

I got out of my helpless state and went into a spin in order to avoid hitting the ground head first. I managed to regain my balance and hovered over the forest floor before making use of many power strokes to rise towards the sky. That had been a close one! If I had been just a little more hesitating, it would have been the end of the line from me. That was, however, not in my plans for the future.

At that moment, I had to reach the Pure Ones's castle to complete the purpose I had set for myself. There was one owlet to whom I was indebted to and I intended to repay that debt in full. As I continued to make my way towards that darned castle, the night slowly took the day's stead as the world was slowly, but surely, drowned into the shadows. That meant that I had to make haste if I wanted to get to my destination in time.

I had to be halfway there since I recognized some of the area around me. Or maybe since I was more than halfway there. In any case, I flew even faster, faster than any flight speed I had experienced before. All those efforts were made for one little thing many would consider insignificant. As I passed through a meadow, I recognized it as being the one where I met Maritha, my aunt.

While passing by, I realized that I was getting pretty hungry so I made use of the exceptional hearing Barn Owls possessed to triangulate my meal. Just when I had found a vole, I heard the beating of wings above me. At first, I thought it was just another owl or a crow passing by, but the sound was getting closer and closer.

My instincts then kicked in when I heard the clinging sound of battle claws unlocked and ready to kill, I quickly banked to my extreme left before turning around to face the owl that tried to attack me. I was shocked to find out it was the only owl who would dare to challenge me, even after knowing who I was: Maritha

"What is wrong with you!" I screamed at her.

"I'm only doing what I should have done long ago: kill you!" Maritha replied harshly.

"But why? Why is it that you, too, seek my death?"

"Because you are a nuisance to the Pure Ones!" She coldly told me.

"What are you saying! I thought that you were a slipgizzle for the Great Tree."

"And yet, you believed me with no doubt whatsoever. Remember when I told you that it was your father, along with Nyra, that created the Pure Ones? Well, I lied. They existed long before then," Maritha revealed.

"W ... what?" I stammered.

"And this isn't everything; I lied to you about me being a slipgizzle for the Guardians. In fact, I was one of the first your father recruited and I remained as one of the Pure Ones's most loyal member. At first, I wanted to keep you away from our stronghold without having to kill you but now that you've escaped death more than once, nothing holds me down anymore. My orders do not stand any longer now that everyone thinks that you are dead."

"I won't repeat myself another time, Maritha: any who dares stand in my way, whoever they are, shall fall prey to my talons! And although I wish this could go in another direction, I want to be done with this matter! So prepare yourself, Aunt, because your end is near!" I exclaimed.

I didn't know what to do anymore. In front of me was my very own aunt and yet, I was pitted against her in a battle to the death. I did not like wars and fights in general but I knew that unless I fought seriously, I had no chance against the Pure Ones that stood firm in my path. Of that I was sure!

I didn't want to fight with my own family member, but Maritha left me with very little choice. I had to fight to live or, at least, die trying. In any case, she made the first move and charged me. Although the battle claws she wore on her talons looked very heavy, she still flew gracefully and made use of them as if they had the weight of a leaf. Fighting against such a strong fighter would certainly prove to be extremely difficult.

My mind was telling me to play carefully through that fight while my gizzard was running wild about how I should fight all on against Maritha. So, in the end, I was torn between two choices I supported whole-heartedly. For starters, since Maritha was smaller than I was, she had the speed advantage and that held a great advantage against me. I was surely far stronger than she was due to my unusual size as a Barn Owl but those battle claws she had equipped onto her talons probably made up for the difference in our strength.

I had to withdraw from my mind as Maritha closed. If it hadn't been for my hardened nerves, I would have probably gone yeep a while back. It sure did feel weird to fight in a totally different body and, on top of it, have complete control over that body. As much as I loathed, I knew that there was no way to escape it's sight once caught in a battle to the death.

When Maritha's battle claws fell down towards me, I did the most obvious manoeuvre for the situation and plunged. It was all part of a complex manoeuvre I had just thought of and, although it was highly dangerous, it could turn the tides in my favour if executed properly. As I expected, my aunt followed me into my plunge but because of her weight, she quickly closed in. Hopefully, she would lose that momentum in the next step of my manoeuvre.

Once low enough, I opened my wings and regained my balance. I had chosen the area carefully, even if I didn't have a lot of time to do so, and that put Maritha at a small disadvantage as she had not yet adjusted her flight style as I had. Countless trees stood in the way of our flight trajectory and they could prove deadly at the speed we flew at.

I was often praised for my analytic abilities, as I was able to plan the end of a battle before it even began. However, I wasn't exactly what many could call an accomplished strategist, but it was true that I did possess the qualities required to be one. And to prove that point, I did not choose the area by mistake; I chose it specifically because one would have to make many bank turns in order to fly through the small meadow.

On top of that, the more bank turns one would make while flying normally, the more that owl would lose all the speed it held previously. And since my flight style had been adjusted to that manner of flight, I now held the speed advantage. The next step of my manoeuvre approached rapidly as the meadow guided us to a cliff. There had been a reason why I wanted the speed advantage and it was just for this specific manoeuvre.

The moment I crossed the gap separating the forest floor from the ravine, I dove. However, that plunge was just a trap to lure out Maritha to me. Instead of continuing my fall, I reached out for a special spot of the wall of the ravine and grabbed it. Soon after, Maritha followed and I hoped in all my heart that she would not notice me. If she did, all of my plan would go to waste.

My gizzard seemed to cry in victory when the Pure One just passed by. I knew that this opening would probably be the only one I could get so easily. To avoid further detection, I followed her using a concept known as the silent dive. It allowed me to spy or follow owls without giving away my presence. I was careful about doing a minimum of sounds that could give me away as my goal was to effectively kill that aunt of mine.

I was getting awfully close to her and just as I was about to strike her down, she made a sudden hard alle and in a matter of seconds, her battles claws opened a large gash on my breast, tearing away my flesh as the metal claw left yet another bloody wound on my feathers. Blood splattered around, in the air and on Maritha's breast and face feathers as I plummeted down into what seemed to be a bottomless gap.

"Ha! Did you really think that this trick would work on me? I have far more experience on the battlefield than you, fool!'" Maritha nearly barked."And, did you know that I was the one who proposed Nyra with the plan to get rid of your father?" She added.

And to think that I trusted her! Darn it! Darn it all! It had always been her intention to kill me. From the moment we met until this very moment, she had always wanted to make my father's blood disappear from the world. With such a wound, she could be sure that it would happen. My vision had already started to blur and after only a few minutes, all I was able to see were shadows and silhouettes.

"You know, Kurth, owl purity is very important in this place, but never forget that there are some owls and some kingdoms that set their own rules. I, for one, learned that lesson at a high price; unable to bear my true name because I am thought dead by many. After the years, I eventually forgot my own name. Now, only the name High Tyto is what I can bear."

"But, Da? Why are you telling me all this? I don't understand what you mean."

"Those are things I wanted to tell you when you were younger but the attention your mother gave you made it very hard for me to do it. Most owls in this fortress know me as the cruel and merciless leader of the Pure Ones but only a few that I have a complete trust in know me as a compassionate friend."

"What do you mean, when I was younger? I just did my First Flight ceremony! Isn't that young enough for you."

"You are right. While it is true that you are still very young, you are not the young chick Nyra was so obsessed with. You have grown in your own way and that placed disgust instead of praise in her heart."

"Still, what is your reason for telling me all of this?"

"Up until now, there has not been a single day where I knew what to do what was right for you but now, things will be different. If I am telling you this, it is because I want to protect you. While I still draw breath, I will protect in every way I can think about. However, if I were to die suddenly, know that it was Nyra and that you are next. If that proves to be the case, I want you to flee and find the Guardians. With their help, I am sure that you will be able to crush the Pure Ones one day."

"Da! You and I both that it is forbidden to talk of the Guardians so casually! They are our most vicious enemies!"

"Do not let your mother's words get into your head. She not only tries to manipulate us all, but her true intention is to rule the owl kingdoms without any pity. Any who will oppose her owl purity will be broken and killed."

"But you follow it and from what you are telling me, you are obviously against it."

"Oh, if only you had any idea of what I had to go through in order to break free from her manipulative ways. Her beauty is as great as her cunning. Just ... never forget that as long as I live, I will always protect you. And if everything fades to black, just think about another you deeply love or your goal. Even in death,, I will protect you from way up there in glaumora ... Kurth."

Why?

Why did I have to remember those memories on the verge of death. No! I would not allow the doors of death to claim me just yet! I would fight for the young owlet to whom I was indebted to. To protect Serenade from the Pure Ones's danger. To find a way to be reunited with Soren and Gylfie. And most importantly; to stay alive!

"Kurth! Wake up! You have to fight!" A voice echoed through the ravine.

"Se ... Serenade ... Is that truly ... you?" I asked, weak and tired.

But alas, no answer came. Just one, heart-sickening scream...

I opened my eyes almost instantly and as I did, I saw true horror: blood filled the sky, feather flew in every direction. At first, I didn't know whose feathers those were as they were mostly all stained by blood. There was one I saw that wasn't stained. One, long and beautiful grey feather. For the first time of my life, I really wanted to bestow death upon another owl

As I saw Maritha dispose of Serenade' body, hate started to boil deep down inside my gizzard. Oh, how I hated my wicked aunt! I regained control of my flight and by using a thermal updraught passing by, I rose up to see a most sickening scene. The stone floor was covered by blood, feathers filling both the sky and the ground.

Without even analysing the situation, I dove right at Maritha with nothing more than rage in my eyes. Taken by instincts I tried to control, I prepared my talons for the inevitable.

"DIE!"

Seconds later, I had pinned Maritha to the ground and, after making sure I had pinned down correctly, I lowered my head to the height of her ear slit.

"Where do you want to go? Glaumora or hagsmire?" I whispered in her right ear slit.

However, before she could even answer, I had already decided what the answer was; to hagsmire. With my foot that pinned her head against the cold stone, I began pulling it with every ounce of my remaining strength. At first, I only heard a few bones crack but after a moment, she began to shriek and scream due to the pain and those screams were fulfilling.

What I sought that night from my aunt was retribution. She needed to be paid in full for what she had done. First, she had my father killed and just a few moments before, she had inflicted Serenade with a lethal wound. Those two acts alone could not be left unpunished. And yet, one of them had been left unpunished for some years. I did not care about Maritha's screams and instead, I just used more strength.

Soon, her head would make a disgusting noise and the next thing I knew was that it was in my left foot, separated from the rest of her body. I had done it again and yet, it didn't install any feeling of guilt in my being. Maybe it was because I had acted to save a friend.

"Serenade!" I exclaimed once I saw that she was still breathing. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree."

"I was ... but then I ... I realized that ... I ... I was indebted to you ... in many ways," Serenade said, her breath beginning to fade.

"Please, don't try to speak too much, Serenade."

"Then ... I thought ... that the best ... way to ... to repay you you ... was to help you in this quest."

"Don't worry, I"ll go fetch Slynella and everything will be all right!"

"I'm dying ... Kurth. I've already crossed the ... the point of ... no return."

"No, you can't! You can't leave me yet! We were supposed to find our way to the Great Tree. To be reunited there!" I let out, tears rolling on my feathers madly.

"Stop ... crying! It's useless ... at this point!"

It was then that I noticed a strange ornament on her left foot. But, it resembled sapphire embedded in a golden case and attached to a small chain. If it belonged to the Others, it must have been used as a wrist attachment.

"That ... pendant belonged to ... to my ... mother. And I ... I want you ... to have ... it. She ... was a ... a wonderful ... poet. Her name was ... Skye..."

And on those words, the valiant owl Serenade died. However, instead of mourning, I promised her something. I promised her that someday, I would kill every single Pure Ones, starting with Metal Beak. I also promised her that I would find her brother for her.

"Just you watch from up there, Serenade!" I burst out in anger. "I promise you that I will kill every one of those frinking Pure Ones. For you and my da!"

"And don't you worry about your brother," I continued. "I will find him and tell him of you. I will tell him of your bravery and courage."

Even if it saddened me to a great point, I could not allow myself to mourn her death at that moment. Serenade had given her life for me because she knew how important my quest was to me. She sacrificed her own life to allow me to reach my goal and I could not let it go in vain. What I noticed about the surrounding area was that the cliff I was on was located near the stronghold the Pure Ones used.

Maybe it was coincidence or dumb luck but either way, my chance to do something good was there, waiting to be grasped. As I rose through the night, Serenade's ornament shining brightly from the full moon's radiance as it lay attached to my left foot, I made haste to the Glaux-forsaken castle the Pure Ones occupied when I heard orders coming from a voice all too familiar: Skench.

I was relieved! In the end, I had made it in time. Still, there was no time to waste and I knew it too well. I began flapping my wings even harder than what I was already doing. Despite the pain the wound on my breast brought me, I was determined to reach the castle before Skench and her owls made their escape with the owlets, especially the one Threka was supposed to carry.

When I arrived at the castle, I was nearly stunned to see the scene right in front of me. The Pure Ones were retreating and the owls of St. Aggie's were storming the castle. Why they were retreating instead of fighting back, I did not understand, but there was one thing that was clear in my mind; I would make sure to change the situation.

To avoid being seen by others, I took height. Both to avoid detection to heighten my chances of diving directly on my target. As I flew above the castle, I saw several owls taking owlets from the Pure Ones's castle. They were obviously from St. Aegolius. What mostly caught my eyes was not the cowardice the Pure Ones showed. Instead, it was a Great Horned Owl that caught my attention.

I recognized that owl as Threka almost instantly because of his right wing. There was a spot on that wing where his feathers were colourless — an unusual phenomenon rarely seen. Seeing that he was alone, I took the opportunity to strike. I plunged down from the sky like a rain drop and a few moments before striking, I readied my talons for a clean strike directly in the neck, just where the helmet he wore didn't protect.

I also had to act quickly because the hit might be lethal and if it was, I would have to save the owlet from a fall that could certainly kill the poor little owlet.

"Threka!" I shouted. "Let that owlet go!"

"Who said th—" Threka began before my talons tore through the feathers of his neck, then his flesh as blood splattered on the white feathers of my breast and face. Unlike what I had planned, my attack was not lethal as Threka did not drop dead towards the ground. He instead dropped the owlet from his talons and then went yeep. My chance was there. I dove almost immediately after striking Threka and I managed to catch the owlet just before it would hit the ground.

After making sure that the owlet was safe and sound, I landed next to Threka's bloodied body. I soon let go of the owlet and slowly approached the Great Horned.

"Who are you?" He asked, even though he had trouble speaking. "One of those fearless Pure Ones, I guess."

"I ain't one of those mindless killers. But you may remember me as 15-7," I answered abruptly.

"That can't be! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Oh, is that something Skench told you to cover her own failure?"

"No, that can't be! Skench would never lie to me," Threka protested.

"I have bad news for you: Skench did lie to you. Unfortunately, I'm the last owl you will you ever see in your life so if you have anything to tell her, keep it for when she joins you in hagsmire!" I announced him before piercing his throat with my right foot's claws.

I watched him writhe in pain as I crushed his throat even more. Blood soaked my foot and while killing Threka wasn't as fulfilling as killing Maritha, it did feel good to fulfil my vengeance on one of my many targets. Shortly after the Great Horned took his last breath, I dislodged my foot from his throat, took his helmet from his head and put it on mine and then took my breath to prepare myself for a speech.

"Hear me, Pure Ones!" I started. "My name is Kurth, son of Nyra and the High Tyto. Three times has death tried to claim me and three did it fail!"

"If I stand here tonight," I continued. "it is to denounce you of your cowardice! Are you all moon calf! You would let such owls as those of St. Aggie's stain your pride so easily? Have you no spine at all!"

"If I were in your place, I would fight back! Now, decide! Will you throw away your pride or will you fight to protect it?" I asked the Pure Ones.

At first, they all seemed to have ignored me but after a few moments, some of them began to get their will to fight back and it became rather epidemic. When a good number of Pure Ones gave chase to the owls of St. Aggie's, the rest of them soon followed the first group, disobeying the orders that Metal Beak, or Kludd, and Nyra must have given them.

Once chaos was set, I knew that it was time for me to make my exit. I grabbed the still unconscious owlet and quickly took off. I flew at a low height to avoid to keep out of sight. Still, even if I had planned in advance, I knew that I would be finished if Nyra or Metal Beak ever gave chase to me. That was the biggest reason as to why I was flying low. Another one were the shadows, giving me an ideal hiding area. It gave me a golden opportunity that flooded my mind; escape from the battlefield.

However, I was still worried about a possible attack coming from either sides. So, to silence that fear, I began positioning my head in the usual position we Barn Owls use to triangulate: meaning that I was able to hear what was coming from above. Both sides were noisy fliers and that was more than enough for me to hear them if they ever gave chase to me.

They were probably all too busy killing themselves rather than thinking about just one owl such as myself. That mistake allowed me to get away with murder. On both sides, might I add. In any case, night was quickly coming to an end and with the condition I was in, I could not fight off another mob of crows. That was why I decided to stain my talons a little more.

I managed to find a hollow, although an inhabited one, but before the two owls living in it could object in any way, I cut open their throats and once they were dead, I got rid of their bodies. I knew that my actions made me the same as Nyra and Kludd but in order to survive, we are sometimes faced with things that go against all we are.

Yes, sometimes very heartbreaking things...

So, I'm cruel, aren't I? I'm sure you never saw that one coming, especially considering Serenade had nothing to do in the situation. In this chapter, we see yet another part of my character and Kurth's minds and beliefs. And, I know that Maritha's death was maybe too overkill but I needed to show everyone how far the character would go to protect his friends. So, I'll finish writing chapter 8 and once it's done (which is surely gonna take a while), I'll update it here. Oh, and by the way, I started a new story. It's a crossover between Rio and Guardians of Ga'Hoole. If you are interested, go on my profile and search for a story named 'The Visitor'.

Well, see you folks! LordChronicler46