A Pure Family

by hortensetheowl

Sequel to "A Story of Rage and Love". Having reunited with the Pure Ones after the disastrous capture of Ezylryb, Kludd wants nothing more than to start a family with Nyra-the love of his life. But destiny has a funny way of barging in just when you need a moment... Set during "The Siege", "The Shattering", and "The Burning"

10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That night, as bitter winter winds battered Silverveil, every owl in the Tytonic Union of the Pure Ones-including the Pure Guard, the Nyra Annihilators, and Diamondclaw's battalion of Greater and Lesser Sooty Owls, which he called "The Soot Squad"-flew towards Cape Glaux in tight wedges. In the lead wedge were Kludd, Nyra, Banshee, Blaze, Jadalyn, Morgana, Wortmore, Sikita, Ginger, Kestrel, Nightshade, and Gyre. Ginger found herself absolutely shaking with excitement; she, for one, couldn't imagine a greater honour than to fly into battle alongside the High Tyto, Her Pureness, and her instructor, not to mention her friends and many experienced soldiers.

At this moment, Sikita leaned herself closer towards Ginger. "Now, remember everything you've been taught." Sikita whispered into Ginger's ear slit. "Ear slits open, talons out, always flying. Whatever you do, always use your wits; you're quite good at that." Ginger nodded in response and Sikita flew back into position, her black eyes ahead. While Ginger knew a little reminder never hurt, she didn't necessarily need one; for her, such things were instinctive.

Kestrel, for her part, could barely take her eyes off of Sikita as her bronze-coloured wings sculpted the air. Sikita had been on her first recruitment mission when Kestrel, having just left the nest, had met her in a small part of the Shadow Forest. She soon became quite taken with the young lieutenant, so taken that, without any training in tracking, had followed her feathers all the way to the fortress in Tyto. From there, she became a member of the Pure Ones and began receiving instruction under Blaze alongside Nightshade, Gyre, and Ginger, who soon became her closest friends. However, not once did she stop thinking about Sikita-her sparkling black eyes, her bronzy back and wing feathers, the way she glided so smoothly and effortlessly in the sky. And now, as she flew close to the young lieutenant, she wasn't quite sure whether she was going to go yeep-or fly straight up to the moon.

Kestrel was interrupted from her thoughts by the feeling of a bitter cold wind blowing in her face. "Winterlies." she heard Nyra say. "They're blowing far too strong. We'll have to wait until they ease up." With that, the entire army of the Pure Ones lighted down on Cape Glaux, and Kestrel looked at Sikita, her eyes glittering. "How long do you think it will be until we can fly again?" she whispered.

"Hopefully not long." Sikita replied. "Although, to be quite frank, I definitely could've used the rest. Great Glaux, my wings are sore!" Kestrel simply churred in response. "I wouldn't have known it, lieutenant. You still flew as gracefully as you did when we met."

Sikita looked down at her talons in slight embarrassment. "I still remember that night." she said softly. "Back in the time of the Copper-Rose rain, when frost was beginning to form on the trees. The entire forest looked like it was made of quartz." Kestrel remembered that night as well; the entire forest was dark and cold, yet Sikita stood out like a shining bronze medallion amid the black. "Do you remember that song you were singing," Kestrel asked, "when we stumbled across each other?" Sikita nodded and sung in a quiet, sing-song voice, for the song she sung was for Kestrel's ear slits only.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
They strung up an owl
They say who murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead owl called out
For his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to fly,
So we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Wear a necklace of rope,
Side by side with me.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where I told you to fly,
So we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
They strung up an owl
They say who murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where the dead owl called out
For his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree.

Kestrel listened with dreamlike wonder as Sikita sang, her voice transporting her back to a cold autumn night when the forest was dark and the moon could barely be seen amid the conifers, and the hearts and gizzards of two young Barn Owls became one for the first time. When Sikita at last finished singing, her and Kestrel looked out towards the Sea of Hoolemere, side by side, awaiting the battle to come. "Whatever happens," Kestrel whispered, "I will always fight by your side." And as Kestrel looked towards Sikita, she could've sworn she saw the owl smile.

Kira found herself in the library of the great tree. Odd. Kira thought to herself. I don't remember flying here. She had flown back to the great tree and reported to Barran-and Dewlap-what she had seen, shortly before Soren and the Chaw of Chaws reported that the Pure Ones were massing on Cape Glaux, yet she had no memory of flying to the library.Just as she was beginning to contemplate how she found herself here, a rather large, bluish-black shape with ragged feathers flew towards her, it's yellow eyes glowing. Kira suddenly wilfed; she had read the legends, she had heard about hagsfiends, and from what she knew, this was indeed a hagsfiend. Oh Great Glaux, she thought, am I going to die at the talons of a hagsfiend?

"No." A gentle voice replied. "You will not die by my talons, Kira." The hagsfiend lighted down in front of her, a kindly expression on her face.

Kira's bottom beak almost hit the floor. "H-How do you know my name?" she stammered.

"I have been with you since you hatched, although you didn't know it." The hagsfiend replied. "I was raised by parents who didn't love me and an auntie who taught me to hate, and it was only at the great tree in another guise that I knew what love was. After that, the longing for power bred into most hagsfiends died in me, yet I died before I had a chance at redemption. Fortunately, Glaux promised me a second chance, a chance to have the life I should've had. And when you were conceived, he kept that promise, for which I will forever be grateful."

Kira's head was spinning as she heard this. "So…" she said softly. "You're… me?"

"Yes." The hagsfiend nodded "I am what you once were. My name is Lutta, and I was given the ability at my hatching to change into any creature. Because of that, my aunt, Kreeth, called me a changeling." Lutta almost spat the word 'aunt'. "She taught me how to control my transformations, and then gave me a mission: to infiltrate the Great Ga'Hoole Tree under the guise of Emerilla and steal the Ember of Hoole. But while I was there, I… fell in love with King Hoole, and I developed a gizzard. Soon, I defied Kreeth, and I died in battle, without a chance at love because of who I was. And now, I live through you, and Glaux has blessed us with a family who truly loves us and a chance to be noble servants of Ga'Hoole." As Lutta spoke, she began to transform, and Kira soon found herself looking at an exact replica… of her. "But you have a destiny of your own as well; Glaux spoke to me before you hatched and told me this." And in a soft, faraway voice, she whispered what Kira first thought to be a poem, and later realized was a prophecy:

Bred through evil, hatched under the stars,

An amber owl shall take up arms,

And face each demon within her sights,

Before she finally becomes a knight.

When Lutta at last finished, she looked at Kira, her eyes shining. "You've defeated your father and Brutus before you came to the tree; for this reason, only you can stop the hagsmire he has started." With that, Lutta began to fade away as Kira shreed, "Wait! Come back! Tell me more!"

Kira suddenly awoke to find Leo looking at her, his black eyes shining with concern. "Kira, are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Kira replied sleepily. "Just a bad dream, that's all." However, inside Kira was trembling. She had a dream like this once before, when she still lived with the eagles, and it had come true. This time, however, she hadn't seen something that would end up happening… but everything that already did.

A/N: *screams loudly* Another forbidden love within the Pure Ones and the reincarnation of Lutta! Okay, I'm beginning to think I'm going crazy. Nevertheless, I like how this chapter turned out; I had hinted at Kira being the reincarnation of Lutta in "A Warrior's Daughter", but I struggled with how to fully broach the subject until I wrote this chapter. And for those of you wondering, while I changed some things for context, the song Sikita sings to Kestrel IS "The Hanging Tree" from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 (as a side note, does anyone else think Jennifer Lawrence sounds a little bit like Lana Del Ray when she sings, or is it just me?) What did you think? As always, show some love and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Guardians of Ga'Hoole or any part of The Hunger Games trilogy; full credit goes to their respective writers