Chapter 12

A troubled Dewlap wandered around the base of the great tree, swivelling her head to survey the scene around her. Many owls lay wounded or dying in the infirmary, and Dewlap had gone to visit them and bestow her kindness. However, after the incident surrounding the book, seeing Otulissa there shocked and disturbed Dewlap to her very core. As a result, Dewlap decided to leave the infirmary and fly around the island in order to gain some peace and reflect on everything that had happened.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sobbing, and Dewlap flew towards the sound to find what appeared to be a young, female Barn Owl-and a very distressed one, at that. Her eyes, which shed copious tears, were as dull and as cold as pebbles, and her wings seemed to droop at her sides while her head appeared to be bent. Dewlap flew towards the owl and slowly lighted down, approaching her gently. "My dear," she said quietly, "whatever is the matter?"

The Barn Owl suddenly whipped her head, startled. "Aren't you a Guardian?" she asked, as if she were surprised that the old Burrowing Owl took any interest in her plight. Dewlap was taken aback. "Yes." she replied cautiously. "Are you a Pure One?"

The Barn Owl nodded. "Yes." she replied. "And under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be caught dead talking to you. But since you're the only one here, I might as well explain why I'm here, crying like an owlet: The love of my life is… dead."

Dewlap let out a shocked gasp. She knew that feeling all too well. "No!"

The Barn Owl nodded. "She was the reason I joined the Pure Ones; I met her in the Shadow Forest, while she was on a recruiting mission. She hadn't meant to meet me, nor I her, but we met and I knew right from the start, that we had this sort of… connection." Her face then took on a dreamy look, as if she were somewhere far away. "I still remember the way the moon shone on her feathers… Made her look as though she were made of true bronze." She then flashed back to the present, sorrow entering her eyes once again. "And now she is gone, thanks to the snares your Guardians devised. Oh, what a clever, clever, trick of theirs! Now I'll never hear her voice again, never feel her gentle touch, never see the light in those glorious eyes of hers-oh, Glaux, why have you abandoned Sikita like this? Oh, what a foul, foul act you have done!"

Dewlap felt a mist of both sadness and alarm hovering in her gizzard. She could tell just how horrible this was for the young Barn Owl; indeed, it was as if she could see this owl's mind beginning to give way. "Perhaps I can retrieve her body," Dewlap began, desperately trying to distract this owl from the insanity that was beginning to form, "and we could give Sikita a Final ceremony."

The Barn Owl then looked at her. "I don't believe Glaux will watch over this ceremony," she replied, "but I appreciate your kindness. What is your name, owl?"

"Dewlap." Dewlap replied, her voice soft as down. "And yours."

"The Tytonic Union calls me Kestrel." The owl replied, her eyes simply staring at Dewlap. Dewlap fought the urge to wilf. "Kestrel's a lovely name." Dewlap replied, keeping her voice neutral.

"I suppose so." Kestrel replied. "Sikita is about the same height as me, and her back and wing feathers are a bronzy colour. Please hurry, and be careful who sees you." She then turned her head towards the shore, her eyes dull and unfocused, as Dewlap flew back towards the tree, determined to find the body. She flew through the tree for a great length of time, almost certain that she would never find the owl. Eventually, however, she found the body of Sikita, her eyes glazed over in horror and her bronze-coloured feathers checked with spots of dried blood. Gingerly, and taking great care so as not to rouse suspicion, Dewlap picked up Sikita's body and carried it out of the tree and towards the spot where Kestrel perched. She then placed Sikita's body gently on the ground and made a slight coughing sound, causing Kestrel to turn her head.

"Ah, so you found her." Kestrel replied. She then walked over towards the body, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "We'll hold her Final ceremony near a grove of fir trees near the island, those were always her favourite." She then cocked her head curiously. "Funny." she remarked. "I expected Ghost to be here. He was stationed as a slipgizzle, after all, so…"

"Ghost is dead." Dewlap interrupted her. Kestrel turned her head towards her, eyes as hard as flint, but Dewlap pressed on. "He was murdered by an owl claiming to be a follower of Purge. If that owl hadn't murdered him, however, I have a feeling a Guardian might have found him, as many owls were beginning to suspect…"

"Purge!" Kestrel shreed. "The yeepish, carrion-eating hag's spawn! Oh, him and his followers will destroy us all, I just know it! Fiend, fiend, dirty fiend!" Dewlap, for her part, was quite shocked at what she was hearing and could feel herself beginning to wilf; however, she stopped herself in time. "Perhaps I could find some coals for the ceremony," she began, "while you build a pyre."

Kestrel straightened up at this, as if she had been brought back to the present. "Right, of course." she replied. "Good idea. I'll get some twigs and grass while you get some coals, and I'll meet you in the grove." With that, Kestrel flew off, Sikita's body in her talons, while Dewlap flew back towards the tree. There was a cache of embers in a small storage area near the tree, and while Dewlap knew it was wrong to take embers for any reason apart from combat, it was all she could do to distract Kestrel from her growing paranoia. She soon reached the storage area, plucked four embers from the cache, and flew towards the grove to find Sikita's body lying on a pyre that Kestrel had built, while Kestrel looked sadly on at Sikita's body. Dewlap then placed an ember on each corner of the pyre, and the two owls watched as the pyre-and Sikita's body-were devoured by flames-but not before Kestrel quickly plucked one of Sikita's bronze coloured feathers and tucked it into the plumage on her starboard wing. The feather stood out starkly against Kestrel's plumage, which was the colour of desert sand.

"I shall find the Guardians who set that snare," she hissed. "And I shall kill every. Last. One. Then you shall truly know the strength and power of the Pure Ones, as will all the owl kingdoms. We shall have dominion over every last kingdom, and all owls will quiver with fear as we soar through the night sky!" Dewlap stared, horrified, at Kestrel, whose eyes had grown hard as obsidian. Kestrel then turned her head towards Dewlap, and the old Ga'Hoology ryb felt the Barn Owl's gaze piercing her like an arrow. "You have shown me kindness, Dewlap. But you'll need more than that if you want to keep this precious tree alive. Perhaps you have some information the Pure Ones might find useful, such as weaknesses or attack strategies. You give us this information, and we'll take excellent care of this tree."

Shaking with fear, Dewlap began to tell Kestrel everything she knew, including the weak points of the tree's defines systems. As she spoke, a sick smile formed on Kestrel's face, and Dewlap felt as though her gizzard was about to drop out of her body. When she was finished, Kestrel spread her wings. "You have trusted my word." she said as she prepared to lift off. "Very well; when we take control of the tree, I shall make sure you are spared." She then lifted off into the black of the sky, a triumphant shree echoing through the night. Dewlap was just about to fly back to the tree when she felt Hazel light down beside her, sadness in her brown eyes.

"Oh, Dewlap." Hazel sighed softly. "What have you done?"

A/N: NOOOOOOOOOOO! Sorry bout the wait, was struggling with writer's block for a while. So, that started as a really sweet chapter… and then Kestrel started going insane and Dewlap ended up betraying the tree. Yeah, that escalated. What did you guys think? As always, show some love and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Guardians of Ga'Hoole; full credit goes to Kathryn Lasky