Hello again! Shard here!

Thanks for the reviews. I thought that all the section of "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" was dead u.u

In this chapter I tried to do something different from normal: RHYMES! Yes, there will be a part where Twilight will sing. I didn't knew that making rhymes in english was so difficult... if there is any error, just tell me :)

Hope you enjoy.


Shard slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry. "Where am I?" He stood up with some difficulty and looked to his sides, trying to adjust his eyes to the brightness of that place. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Oh, thank Glaux! You're awake!" said his mother while embraced her son in the wings.

'Can't…breath…" he said as he tried to escape from that hug. When she loosened her wings, he asked: "What happened?"

Soren and Dain explained everything to him. Just when he remembered exactly what happened, Digger entered the hollow with a worm trapped in the claws.

"Here. I just found another wor…" he saw Shard. " YOU'RE AWAKE!" he exit the hollow and shouted: "GUYS! SHARD WOKE UP!" After that, it was like the hollow exploded in feathers as eight owls tired to enter in that place… but at the end, four entered and the rest stayed at the entrance.

Gylfie ran in Shard's direction and kicked him in the claws.

"Ouch! What was that for?!"

"I did that because you need to learn to stop scaring us! Do you know how many times you did that?" she spoke almost crying.

Mary chuckled. How long she didn't felt that calm mood in the air? Soren cleared his throat. "A-hem…" and everybody looked to him. "I know that you are all happy with Shard's recovery, but we came here with a job to do. What happened to the fire?"

Twilight said with a firm voice: " I extinguished it!"

Eglantine glared to him. "You or we? Stop trying to look cool in front of Shard."

"What can I do if this owlet inspires me?" All the owls with the exception of the Snowy family knew what was going to happen. Shard didn't understand why all of them stepped back but decided to do the same. Twilight seems to have doubled his height and danced while singing a song he came up some time ago.

"With a gizzard that is determined
This owlet can do the impossible.
One thing is confirmed:
His courage is impressible.

Shard do not need deeds
To demonstrate that he is intelligent
He has what he needs:
A spirit that is elegant…"

At this time of the song, Shard couldn't stop following the rhythm of the song and waving his head that moved from one side to the other.

"No matter who you are
Or who you want to be
Just look to the stars
And your patch you shall see.

When from the coals you avoided
You made us fell terrified
When you woke up we were overjoyed
You made me feel inspired…"

Twilight seemed to lost focus of his original song while singing and started to talk about himself.

"With those beautiful and perfect silver wings
He flies across the sky
All the enemies fears the chaos he brings
Because he is a tough guy

Not the earth not the sky
Can stop this living being
Because there is no fight he can't buy
There is no battle he can't win!"

Shard looked to his wings. "Perfect silver wings? But I'm white…" and as if reading his mind, Digger walked until he was at his side.

"No Shard… this time he isn't singing about you… for Glaux, how can he get so carried away?"

The Snowy owl then noticed that the song was about Twilight himself.

" TWILIGHT! STOP!" all the owls from Ga'Hoole screamed and after jumping from surprise, he became petrified.

"How could you sing a song talking about Shard and then change to one talking about you?! That was supposed to be a present for him!" Gylfie scolded him.

The Great Gray was silent. Then suddenly, Shard made a rhyme.

"And then they silenced the big one when all he did was to speak
With his perfect wings and a babbler beak
But he shouldn't feel depressed
Because with this present, I feel that I'm blessed…"

All the owls looked to him and Shard covered his beak. "Did I just said that loud?" he thought to himself almost dying from embarrassment. He then heard someone talking.

"Oh my… that was beautiful! Much better than the ones from Twi. He talks a lot about war and fights. I was admired when he sang something that wasn't about these things, but yours… they surpass his stanzas by far…and defines him well. 'Babbler beak'." Digger said and everybody started to laugh.

"Did you really liked it?" The Great Gray spoke for the first time after being interrupted.

" Yes. Thank you." Those were simple words, but it was all that Twilight wanted to hear. After all that, Everybody agreed that the hollow was starting to feel uncomfortable and they exit that place… everybody but Shard, Dain and Mary. In fact, Shard was about to leave when his parents called his name.

"Shard, we need to talk with you for a second…" Mary said. The owl closed his wings and walked near them.

"Yes?"

"Me and your father talked and…" she looked to Dain that slowly nodded in response as his body still felt pain. "… and we decided that we will not hide anything from you."

The Snowy was paying attention to every word she said. He knew that something very important was going to be revealed to him.

"Son…" his father started. " We want you to know… that since you were born… we loved you so much… and that fact won't change until we die…" he was getting sleepy very fast. He really need some sleep.

"Darling, you are weak. You should rest for awhile. I'll… I'll tell him." Dain looked to her and after nodding, closed his eyes to take a nap.

"Come with me…" both mother and son took flight and landed on the top of the tree. The sky was covered with thunderclouds but the sun had already started to rise. They could feel on their skins the small traces of sunlight. The leaves started to shine, turning the normal green into a glimmering gold. Mary was facing the horizon and when she was confident of herself, she started to tell the same story she told to Soren and Otulissa. She explained everything what happened when he was just an egg. After some hours, it started to rain.

"So that means…"

"Yes, neither me nor Dain are your real parents."

Shard was shocked to learn that fact. Mary could tell by analyzing his face. She was waiting for him to be really angry for not telling that sooner, for lying to him during all his life… or even that he started to hate them and never wanted to look to them again. A twinge in her heart made all her feelings come forth. She remembered the way she treated him when he was with Soren and with his injured claws. She was expecting anything from Shard after telling that news… except what he really did. He walked near her with his wings wide opened and embraced her. The wind blew harder and shook the leaves that fell off and started to fly past the two owls.

"You are my mom. Nothing will change that. We might not have the same blood but you and dad are the most important owls in my life. You are my parents and I love you."

Mary started to cry, just like the sky, and hold him. Shard leaned his head on his mother's chest. He could feel the warmth of her feathers and her pulsing heart. The heat made him remeber about the fire that Twilight said that it was extinguished. If by any chance they had doubts that the fire would rekindle, now they dissapeared. After some minutes, his mother dried her tears. Shard then said: "Mom, they are waiting for us. I think that we should go see them…"

They flew silently and landed next to Soren that was near the burned tree. Judging from the happiness in Mary's face, he assumed that everything went well.

"Since the fire won't burn anymore, we have nothing to do here. We will go back to Ga'Hoole and we would be very happy if you could come with us."

Shard looked to his mother with shining eyes. She couldn't say 'no'.

"You go Shard. I'll have to go later because you dad won't fly for some time."

Shard thought for a moment and said to Soren. "If that's the case, I'll wait for my dad. He will-"

"No. You should go. Dain won't be able to fly for more than a week and I know that he would want you to go too." She looked to Soren. "Take care of my boy, right?"

"Mom!" Shard said embarrassed. How many times have he told her to not call him 'my boy' in front of the others?

She chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist."

After settling everything, Shard went with Soren. In a week time he would send some owls to accompany Mary and Dain to their new home. To Ga'Hoole.


Kael and Ethel joined some owls as they went to Titanias' chamber. When they entered there, there was almost two hundred owls perched on the stones. The sight of those owls with metal mask reunited in one place gave shivers to Kael. He never experienced that kind of pressure.

Anyone, with the exception of Ethel, wanted to be next to Kael. All of them thought that he was a coward who was afraid to fight. But only idiots wouldn't be afraid to fight in a battle that they could cost their lives. So every owl in that place were very confident in their abilities or they are just stupid. The second options seemed more logic.

After noticing that there was no other space for him to perch, he just stood up in a place with no one around and far from the heat of the volcano.]. Ethel went to be by his side. When all the owls entered the chamber, the sound of Titanias sharpening his metal claws on the stone made everyone shut their beaks.

"Now we will start to formulate the strategy… Strategist, come near me!" he ordered. Kael looked to Ethel. "I thought that YOU would create the strategy?!"

She too was taken aback but decided that it wouldn't be intelligent to ignore Titanias now. She walked in his direction and then stopped.

"Well… first of all, I need your opinion about some details. We will attack during the day or during the night?"

He answered promptly.

"During daytime. We are already used with the light of the fire. It won't be difficult to get used with the sunlight."

Ethel thought a little.

"How many weapons do we have?"

"Enough." Titanias only said that and his tone demonstrate impatience. Ethel was starting to feel fear.

"T-Then we should do a fast attack, attacking from the north, the south, the east and the west… but then we would need four leaders. The winds at this time of the year can create tornados. It would be impossible for you to coordinate the attack with such a disperse group in such a bad weather."

Titanias caught her in his gaze. "Oh Glaux…" thought Ethel. The words she said could be easily interpreted as a challenge.

"All right…titles don't mean anything in war. Only the more adapted survives. During the battle I'll lead a group, you will lead another, General Bane will lead another and the rest…"

Titanias moved his head, looking for someone while Kael tried to remember who was this owl named Bane. He only saw him once, talking with Titanias about battles and war.

Suddenly, he felt his gizzard freeze as everybody looked in his direction. "It can't be…!" He slowly turned his head and saw Titanias claw pointed to him.

"…The rest will be in your hands (or claws), General Kael."

Again, he was promoted, but this time it left a bitter flavor in his beak. Every owl in that place protested.

"You want to promote this coward to general?!", "I'm not gonna obey him!", "Why this guy is even here?" were some of the words that echoed in that place.

"SILENCE!" His voice sounded like a thunderbolt that just landed on the earth and echoed through all the place. "I don't want to hear any complaints!"

One of the Tytos that were perched there said:

"But sir… you shoul-" it was like the Red Tyto Alba instantly teleported to face that owl and closed his beak with brute force. After that he used his wings to apply a powerful blow on his left wing, breaking it and before the owl could scream, he threw him in the lava that was flowing in the center. After some seconds, the owl disappeared completely.

"Any more complaints about my choice?!"

Absolute silence.

"Good… dismissed!"

All the owls left that place faster than an hawk diving to hunt it's prey… but Kael couldn't move his feets.

"Sir… I…"

Titanias faced him

"Yes?"

He reunited all the courage he had and said:

"I… I don't want to take a role in this war! I'm a pacifist! How do you expect me to fight?!"

A gaze that make any living owl pray for its life. That was the kind of gaze that Titanias used at him.

"In the war, there is no choice but to fight. Even a Tyto Alba coward like you can be useful. You are intelligent and this is one of the two things that prevent me from killing you right now. I can say this because you always complete your missions within time limit, different from the other ones that need more than one week to patrol one. Single. Place." his voice had bloodlust. He didn't like to be confronted and hated the owls that didn't accomplished what they were designated to. Kael gulped. "So now, you frinkin owl, don't make me send you to the torture chamber. I need your brain, the strategist brain and General Bane's power to win this war. He can battle like no other owl can. The strategist can see the weak points of everything that exists… and you, being a coward that you are, can find the perfect route and the perfect time to retreat, but not our retreat. You will see the time when our opponents will retreat, so we can strike them with full force and make Hoolemere Sea turn from blue to red!"

Kael didn't dare to breath and his body turned into stone. He didn't move an inch.

"We will attack in two weeks. Until there, learn what is war… or else you'll have two options: Torture chamber or be used as decoy. Either way, you'll die. Now, get out of here."

Kael nodded and started to walk to the exit. After turning the corner he leaned against a wall and put his wing on his heart. It was beating so fast that it hurt. His breath was irregular and his legs were shaking. Ethel saw him and got near him as fast as possible.

"Kael, relax! Don't freak out here! You'll not die! I won't let that happen!" she tried to comfort him. He felt that he was in a nightmare. A terrible nightmare… but staying there doing nothing wouldn't make any good. He needs to calm down and think about how to escape.

Deep breath, exhale… Deep breath, exhale… he kept doing those things until he felt that he could walk again. Ethel sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes… I just need time to get used to this idea…" he said with his eyes closed.

"You got exactly what you didn't want… I'm sorry. I should never have said that thing about attacking from the four directions…."

Kael stood up and walked with Ethel until they were on a place where the voles were being served. Both of them felt hatred eyes targeting them. In fact, they were targeting Kael but since Ethel was near him, she became a target too.

"To tell the truth, I know how to fight. I learned it secretly but I never practiced. It just… I don't like it. Why everything must be done by violence?"

"If you know, why don't you just show them so they can stop bothering you?

"Humm..." he became thoughtful. He never had the time because he spent all of his free time outside the base.

A Greater Sooty approached them , pushed Kael on the ground and kicked him.

"It doesn't matter what Titanias said! I'm not going to obey you! You can't even fight, how come you lead an entire group?! Why don't you just die?" Kael could feel the disgust in his voice. Why everyone hates him? Why they think that a owl that don't fight can't do anything?

Maybe this was the perfect time to make all of them shut their beaks. He searched a way to do that and suddenly he remembered something that it would help. He glanced to Ethel and winked. She understood, kicked the owl and immobilized him on the ground. "You have guts to say that to your superior... General Kael, do I have permission to break this owl beak?" she said that to him. Before this meeting, she didn't have any title, so Kael would be her veteran. Kael stood up and cleaned his feathers.

"No, it's ok. If he wants to fight so badly, then let's fight. He won't even touch me from now on..." All the owls started to laugh, except Ethel. For one moment she looked to him. Did his eyes started to shine? No... that was the reflection of the fire torches that were on that place... but that gave him a very cool looking. Half of his body was shining yellow because of the fire and the rest was dark because of the shadows. He really looked... fearful.

She released the owl and took some steps back. The Greater Sooty regained his posture.

"Me? Can't touch you? I'm going to make you eat those words. It won't be difficult to destroy a useless bastard like you, General…" he then, dashed in his direction and when the metal claw was near him, Kael disappeared and appeared behind him in a matter of seconds. All the owls blinked. How did he do that?

The Sooty flew and started to dive. This time, Kael waited for him to be near and grabbed his claw, throwing him on the ground. Nobody believed in what they were seeing. The coward was winning a fight!

"Come on… I thought you would make me eat my words…" Kael provoked. Ethel saw that his opponent was starting to loose control of his temper. He screamed while entering in an berserk state and rushing toward him. Kael seemed like dancing. His steps where so serene and his body had no unnecessary movements. He went from left to right to the center to right again... he was like a water stream that couldn't have his course changed. No matter how many times the Sooty tried, Kael only had do move his body a little and the the owl missed the attack. In the end, his opponent was exhausted and didn't land a single blow. Ethel felt something in her chest. She already saw his face without the mask. He was a good-looking owl, had extremely beautiful eyes, wanted to become a person that helps others, was a good company and fights with a delicate technique that mesmerizes anyone who sees it. " It can't be… Am I in love?" she started to chuckle. She never thought that she would love someone that was with the Pure ones, but Kael was different. He may have been born with the Pure ones, but his heart was overflowing with justice... not to mention that he is a good actor.

"I guess that's all you can do…" he walked and put his claws on his neck. She knew that he would never kill someone, but the others didn't expect what he was doing. The Sooty froze. "You said something about destroying me, right? If you can't even win against a 'useless bastard' like me, what that makes you?" He pressed the pointy metal against the owl's skin. "Don't worry. I'm not goind to kill you, but next time, don't say that you will do something and at the end you don't do that. General Titanias hates that, all right?" Since the owl didn't answered, he pressed even more.

"Yes.." the owl said with a low voice.

"You aren't understanding your position here, right? I'm your superior. I want to hear a 'Yes, sir!" from you." He pressed even more and draw a little of blood.

"Yes, sir!" the owl screamed.

"Good..."He release the owl and walked away. When he was about 2 meters from him, the Greater Sooty on the ground used all his force to dash again against Kael.

"Watch ou-!" Ethel never completed what she wanted to say. The moment the owl was about to pierce him, Kael turned and flew, grabbed the owl's mask and lifted him. How much strength he had? Then, he used all his force to throw him on a wall, making him pass out. The mask of the Sooty fell on the ground and Kael took it in his claws. "Having your mask stolen means you lost. This is a rule that everybody that fights in this headquarter knows so this is my victory." No one believed in their eyes. "Now this is an order for all of you: From now on, you will stop calling me coward and will adress me as 'sir' or else you all will have to face me in a one-on-one until death. Are we settled?" The silence from Titanias' chamber seemed to to migrate to this room... and them...

"YES, SIR!" all the owls answered in unison. Kael sighed, dropped the mask, catched a vole and left the place. Ethel followed him.

(…)

"Do you think that that was enough? Because I don't want to act like an mindless idiot that would kill without think again..." asked Kael still trembling.

"Yup, that was good. I doubt that they will ever bother you again... now answer me one question: Where did you learn to fight like that? It looked like you were dancing while evading all his attacks!" she asked curious.

"But that was a dance… I read it in a book made by 'The Others'. For some reason all the information about that dance came to my head and I noticed that I could use it to avoid the attacks…"

"Wait, you can remember everything you read in a book?"

"Well… during some of my missions I found this place called 'The place of living books' where I met this owl named Braithe. He taught me how to read and let me read about any book…"

"Wait… didn't he get scared?"

"You mean the mask? There is no rule about taking off the mask when I'm not in the presence of another Pure one. But forget about that for now. I have a terrible problem to face now…"

"You mean the war? You shouldn't be worried since you know how to fight…oh wait…" She noticed. He wasn't fighting. He was dancing. He couldn't use that in a battle because to avoid like that he need his feets on the ground. In the war he will be flying.

"The way I fight is probably worse then these guys'… So I really need to be prepared. Can you teach me everything you know about war and about how to fight?"

She nodded. They were almost reaching the place where they met when they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. It was Bane.

"What are you doing here?"

"General Titanias ordered me to find someone to teach some things to you or I would be the one to teach you about war, but it seems that General Ethel already planned to teach you, right? So, since I have nothing to do now I'll stay with you just to see if you will learn properly."

"Does Titanias suspects that we are planning to defect from the Pure Ones?" thought Kael.

"Sure… why not?" Ethel said and winked to Kael so only he could see. It seems that Bane didn't know about what just happened on the refectory. "First of all, you need to know that attacking with all you got is always a good choice. If you are strong, like General Bane here, you will be able to kill your opponent in an instant. The bests places to hit an owl are here, here, here and here…" she touched his head, his belly and both his wings. She kept telling things about killing and torture for a long time and Kael noticed that she was telling the war through the eyes of Bane. He kept nodding and add some things to Ethel explication in which were useful, if he planned to be a suicidal. How can one just throw all his body on an opponent and expect to be unharmed to face the next opponent? After some time he judged that she was doing a good job and left them.

"This owl is so dumb to believe that war is just fight and survive…" said Kael.

"Exactly. There are many types of war. Some of them requires violence, others just threats and some others just need your brain."

"The brain?"

"Yes, for example, an intellectual war, where only with your knowledge you can formulate phrases that leaves your opponent without action."

And them, Ethel kept teaching him about all kinds of wars, how to elaborate strategies and how to change formation in the middle of the battle. In exactly one week, he already knew the basic to survive attacks, but he knew that they were still missing one thing: The plan to leave the Pure Ones…


Well... the stage is almost set for Kael to meet Shard. What do you think that it will happen next? Let me see your reviews! :) They mean a lot to me.

P.S: I saw a video of chinese competition where the guy avoided all the attacks from the other. And this other guy was using a spear. It was soo cool :) I thought about using that idea but Kael isn't violent so I just transformed the fighting style into a dancing style... and there is this manga called Dragon Rioting where one of the characters use a japanese dance called Nihon Buyou to move very fast and in a way that is difficult do read where she is going next. (The real-life Nihon Buyou it's totally different hahaha)

Well...Glauxspeed! (*v*)