Hi all! I admit this chapter kinda sucks. But i did try.
I am on vacation in Florida today.
Disclaimer: what is short, simple but very irritating? Ill tell you later.
Chapter 9- The Hunt
Living like the monster Soren had become was a cold and lonely existence. All there was were the constant thirsts which often increased when he neared a living creature. He knew that if he reached the Tyto forest he would find what he was looking for, the blood of an owl.
Flying at full speed, which was faster than a normal owl, he reached the forest by sunrise. The tall needled trees brushed the sky and cast dazzling rays of light on the ground. Hundreds of sounds all reached his ears. Raccoons digging, tiny hearts beating, the sound of a light breeze streaming through the trees, and a gurgling stream of water were just a few. Soren ignored these sounds, for he was after a bigger prize, owls.
A heartbeat reached his ears. He smelled the air. There it is. His eyes darkened even deeper black and he flew to the hollow where the sound and smell was coming from.
He lighted onto a branch on the tree, right beside the hollow. He peered inside and saw his victim, a male Barn Owl who had just recently reached the age to mate. His mate was sitting on a nest of eggs, just laid nights ago.
Soren instinctively attempted to gain their trust, a common hunting skill for Blood Birds when they wish to be silent. He stepped into the entrance of the hollow and gently greeted, "Hello," Two round, white faces angled up to see who had spoken.
"Hello?" the male owl asked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were we expecting you?"
Soren spoke again. "No, but I need your help."
"What do you need? We don't have much to offer you," the female asked.
"It's hard to speak of, but I just lost my tree and my mate in a fire," Soren made his voice crack.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," The male turned to his mate and they exchanged glances.
"We may have room for you here, that is until you find a new place to settle," She said, then glanced at her eggs.
Soren made himself look concerned, "I see, if it would be too much trouble I could stay somewhere else…" Soren trailed his voice off.
"No, no. We'll have none of that now. You are our guest now. We would be glad to help any Tyto," The male spoke.
Hmh, fools. All I need now is a good chance, and to hope they don't notice the absence of my heartbeat,Soren laughed in his mind at how easy this was.
"Come, come! Out of the cold now."
Soren hadn't even noticed that the air was chilled in the night. He stepped into the hollow. He looked around and took in the smells of blood and insects. Maybe the eggs would be good dessert
"I couldn't thank you enough," Soren said, trying to hold himself back until they least expected it.
"Helen, will you please clean the corner for our guest?" The male asked politely.
"Yes, sir," Soren looked down and saw an eyeless snake with green scales slide past him, lightly brushing him with her forked tongue. She flipped her head up and, if she had eyes, she would have been glaring at him.
She seems to know something, Soren thought. Oh well, she can die too.
She disgustingly chomped on some small bugs in the corner. How can one eat something with such little blood?
It took very little time to ready the corner. When the snake, Helen, was finished she glanced back at Soren and slithered past the female and said, "I don't trust him ma'am. Watch him close."
"Do we ever have a guest that you dotrust?" she laughed quietly. Her laugh was rather attractive, as well as her features. However, she was a meal to Soren, not a companion.
Soren's stomach groned with hunger.
"Are you hungry?" the male asked Soren.
"Starving," He replied, his stomach lurching again.
"I was about to go hunting. I could catch you a vole if you'd like?"
"That would be wonderful," Soren said, his muscles tense with excitement. Get the male away, then the female and eggs are mine! I'll be gone before he realizes who, or what, I am.
"goodbye dear, I'll be back soon," The male said and he left the hollow, and a vulnerable mate with eggs.
"That was awfully trusting of your mate, to leave you alone with me," Soren said, stepping towards her.
"Well, we trust you. Besides, I know how to fight," She said factually.
"Do you now," This will be more fun than I thought. "So, he should return soon?"
"That's right, Joseph is an excellent hunter," She said proudly.
"Well, I'm quite the hunter myself," Soren said, taking another step closer.
"Really?" she shifted slightly, nervously.
"Oh, yes," Soren paused. "I was thinking of doing a little hunting right now."
"Oh, well I must say that you're free to do what you wish, but is a vole not enough?"
"No, I was thinking something a little bigger," Soren stepped a little closer, he was close enough to reach her, but the plan was to block any escape as well.
The snake spoke up, "Ma'am, you remember those monsters who have been terrorizing the kingdoms?"
She knows! This has to end now! He grabbed the snake and threw it across the hollow. He stepped forward and reached for the owl just as the snake recovered.
"He is one ma'am! Fly!" The foolish snake shouted.
Soren swiped with one talon, but missed by a fraction of an inch. She bolted out the hollow and dove toward the ground, Soren right behind her the whole way.
At the last moment she stretched her wings and shot herself back into the air. Soren saw her and he did the same, but cut off some of the angle by doing it earlier.
The owl disappeared into a clump of denser forest. Soren couldn't rely on his sense of sight, or sound because Barn Owls were known for silent flight. He has to smell and feel the air of her wing beats, he could possibly hear a heartbeat.
"Aaaag!" Soren heard a shout from behind and truned in time to see the female owl charging at him holding a stick out as if to stab him.
He flapped powerfully once and picked up out of the way. There was a bit of a thud, and Soren turned to see that she had impaled a rotten tree with no branches. Soren slammed into the tree as well, but he placed his foot around her neck pinning her to the tree. He didn't harm her, he just wanted to have a little fun.
"Let's play a little game," Soren whispered in her ear, a dark tone seeping into his words. "You can fly away and try to hide, and I'll come get you. That sounds fun," Soren chuckled. "If you're caught, I'll kill you," Soren paused to think of the conditions. "and if you escape by sunrise, you are free to go. Although you'll probably be mobbed by crows anyway," Soren laughed again.
"You can't win," The owl spoke quietly. "The Guardians will stop you, all of you bloodthirsty monsters."
"Who said I was with them? I am my own; I am more powerful than that half brained Skench!" Soren tightened his grip.
"You think that you could stand against the Guardians, alone?" She asked mockingly.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now."
"We wouldn't want you to miss out on your fun now, would we?" She said.
"You're stalling now!" Soren fumed. "Go, hide like the coward you are." Soren released his grip and the owl escaped and flew away.
"Fly, you fool. I'll get you later," Soren turned and flew back to the hollow.
When he arrived, the snake was still there, coiled around the eggs to protect them. A vain attempt. Soren grabbed the snake and held her over the edge of the hollow. "Don't worry, if the fall doesn't kill you, the raccoons will finish the job." Soren dropped Helen off the edge. She caught herself on a branch five feet down. Lucky little pest. Soren thought as he stepped to the nest.
He picked up one egg and was about to break it open to drink the small amount of blood that would be in the pre-mature chick, when an oddly familiar voice sounded. "Goodness child! What are you doing?" a rosy scaled snake appeared out of nowhere.
"Moving the eggs," Soren said as he gently set it down again.
"I do not think you should be here child," the snake spoke again. She slithered up to Soren and Soren noticed that this snake had no eyes as well.
The snake gently began to brush her tongue on him, as well as hovering her head around his body. She gasped. "It cannot be!"
"What are you doing?" Soren asked.
"It is you! Oh, Soren! I have missed you so. Where have you been, I thought you were dead?"
"Who are you?" Soren asked, confused.
"Do you not remember me? It has been a long time, I suppose. You were just a chick when… when he pushed you,"
"What are you saying? We know each other?" Soren was so confuse that he forgot what he was doing.
Suddenly a shout from outside interrupted, "Mrs. Plithiver! Mrs. Plithiver, is that you?"
The rosy snake slithered over to the edge of the hollow. "Helen? What on earth are you doing down there?"
"He threw me out here!"
"What? Are you sure you didn't just fall?"
"That child is a monster! He tried to kill me and my masters!"
Will that creature ever shut up? "I did no such thing!" Soren said, pretending to be offended.
The snake, Helen whispered, "He's a Blood Bird!"
Mrs. Plithiver gasped. "Oh, Soren, I'm so sorry."
"How can you feel sorry for this monster!?"
"He was part of the family that I served! His name is Soren. I helped his parents bring him into this world. He is no monster!"
"Soren, the chick that was snatched some time ago? He should be older! This is not him!"
Soren was beginning to get tired of all this babbling. He was getting hungrier too.
"Soren, I know you are a good owl." Mrs. Plithiver stated.
"Mrs. Plithiver! Get out of there!" Helen shouted.
"You can make the choice of who you are! How you act is your choice alone! You do not need to release yourself to your instincts as a Blood Bird." Mrs. Plithiver said, ignoring Helen's advice to escape.
Soren began to remember something, or rather someone, a small owl with yellow eyes staring up at him with a sad expression. Then the image faded and he saw himself, the monster, staring back at him in his mind.
"It is easier to follow instinct." Soren said out loud, but he also saw his dark half say it in his mind as well.
"That may be so, but it is not always the right way."
Soren wanted to agree, but his dark half spoke to him. Don't even think about it. Without me you're nothing. "This is the right way. I was created to hunt, kill, and feed off of those owls weaker than myself. That is my duty in this world," Soren unwillingly said.
"Don't be afraid to change. If you are anything like your father was—"
"My father is dead! If he were strong he would still be here." Soren said angrily.
"Your father was a great owl! He was strong, noble, and pure. He loved you more than you will ever know," Mrs. Plithiver said.
"Mrs. Plithiver! Get out of there before he kills you!" Helen shouted again.
"Helen, be quiet!" Mrs. Plithiver hissed.
"Maybe she's right. I might hurt you," Soren said mockingly.
"No, you won't. I know you won't," Mrs. Plithiver.
Soren stepped closer and grabbed Mrs. Plithiver with his talons. He picked her up and looked at her. You know, I've really developed a hatred for snakes tonight," Soren took flight and lifted high above the ground, even the treetops.
"Let's do a little experiment. I'm going to drop you and see if I can hear you hit the ground!" Soren let go of the rosy scaled snake and watched in amusement as she began to fall.
So if you want to know the awnser to my previous question, send me a review. I am getting desperate for reviews now (i think im addicted)
Please tell me what you think about my story. If you dont like it then tell me. Give me advice on how to make my writing better.
