Beware of the Rogue Owl's Talon

Smoke and screams were all over the building. People were trying to escape the burning building as explosions were heard, and the building shook. Suddenly Arsenal of bladed weapons struck the unsuspecting owls. The red, warm liquid spilled the flood, bodies fell the ground, unmoving. White masks were everywhere as the fire devoured everything in its reach. Corpses were split open, while a few others had their throats slit open. A woman's body contained a dagger on her neck as the fire reflected over the steel weapon. Suddenly, feathers grasped the handle of the dagger and pulled it out, blood gushing out of the neck.

Two owl talons slowly made their way over the shattered glass of a window as blood dripped. The two legs belong to the previously well-known hero—a former hero who was supposed to be dead. The black-haired teen glared at his reflection in the shattered glass. More specifically, he glared at his eyes. Once his eyes were a bright, gorgeous blue, something he was proud of. Now they were an ugly yellow, with a dull blue filled with hatred and vengeance.

Beware the Court of Owls,

He looked down at his hand, the one that held nothing. He was met with black feathers drenched instead of flesh, black claws instead of nails. Something jerked behind him, and his vengeful yellow eyes glanced behind his shoulder. Instead of an empty space, he was met with two large wings.

Without another word, he expanded his wings and flew away.

That watches all the time,

Perched in the tallest tree far away, and in the shadows of the night, Robin's yellow eyes emotionlessly stare as he licked his fangs, savoring the metallic taste in his mouth as he looked at the collapsing burning building at a distance.

A sickening feeling of pleasure shivers through his spine.

Ruling Gotham in a shadowed perch,

They took him away from his friends. They took away his hero persona. They took away his freedom. And they took away his humanity. But they didn't take away his goodwill, but at what cost? He was a monster. A former lab-rat. A freak. He self-consciously looked down at his blood-stained feathers.

How would his friends react if they see him like this? How would Starfire react? They would be at least horrified for what he's done. And for what he became.

But...what about Bruce and Alfred?

He grits his teeth before a sickening smirk stretched on his face.

Behind granite and lime,

He has killed.

It felt satisfying. It was a sickening truth. He tried to feel guilty, to feel like he's done a terrible deed. But there was no one to fool, including himself. He felt no regret, no remorse for his actions; there was only glee and victory. Nothing was satisfying than spilling the blood of those who tormented him. Them, who attempted to `fix" him. Yet nothing was more satisfying than holding the head of his grandfather and the judge, all while putting down the Court like dogs, once and for all and putting an end to their reign. He killed three birds with one stone.

They watch you at your Hearth,

Honestly, those fools. Did they think that he would be loyal to them? His loyalty belongs to the man who raised him and his friends. Not the people who stripped him of his life. He could never betray the people he was never loyal to.

They watch you in your bed,

Robin was dead. He knew from the moment he woke up weeks later. A searching party was at a dead-end before he was found "dead". He did not doubt that his friends and girlfriend were traumatized to see what remained of his "corpse". He could never come out within society out in broad daylight anymore, as panic would transpire. And he would have people after him.

And he had no doubt that dear old daddy dearest will be looking for him. That was something he wanted to avoid for the time being.

Speak not a whispered word of them,

Or they'll send the Talon for your head.

That old, accursed nursery rhyme, Gotham's nursery rhyme, filled him with rage and hatred. He wasn't born in Gotham, but he lived in a circus. The children sang it, and his parents sang it to him in the night—the only evidence of the Court's existence. But no one would bat their eyes over a silly rhyme.

Well, that old Gotham nursery rhyme will remain that. An old nursery rhyme. It was a big mouthful anyway. The Court is dead, and their wealth is his. But most importantly, the costume he saved in this box was his.

"Batman always drilled Robin not to kill, as we do not kill" He licked his lips as the breeze of the night gently brushed his feathers. "But I am not Robin as he is dead." He smiled coldly, "I am The Rogue Owl. Last descendant of the disgraceful Court of Owls. Moreover, I will use their skills to bring true justice. The Justice that even the Justice League..." He spat out the word with so much venom, "...fail to do."

Why spare the villains when you can eliminate the darkness?

"Because it does not make us better than them."

The young man respects his mentor, and while he would never admit it, he sees the man as a father. But even then he couldn't put the blind eye. He saw the biggest flaw in Batman's beliefs. Refusing to kill off the criminals, while admirable since many would never spare another chance, many innocent die at the hands of these villains. Well if his former mentor and League of friends refuse to make a change, then he will step it up. Robin doesn't kill, but the Rouge Owl will spill the tainted blood from their corpses. For years he had witnessed decay and despair, discourtesy of living in Gotham. But no matter where he stays or goes, the cycle continues. Criminals do something, people are injured or die, buildings, homes get destroyed, a hero or heroes arrive, they fight, the hero or heroes win, the villain goes off to jail, the villain escapes and repeats.

A change must be done, and it will be in his hands.

"The Court was nothing but whispers, folk tales, and sniveling cowards. The Rogue Owl will follow pursuit."

Beware of The Rogue Owl,

That watches all the time,

Protecting Jump in a shadowed perched,

Behind granite and lime,

He watches you from the streets,

He watches you in your sleep,

Villains beware,

One whispered word of him,

And he'll have his Talon on your head.

A bit of a mouthful he admits, but it will have to do. It was time for the owl to rise in the darkness. His shrieks echo in the darkness as the building, and the fire exploded all together, sending its surroundings into flames.

The Hunt of the Rogue owl has begun.

Beware of the Rogue Owl's talon.


A/N: Whoo! And done. This Au is about how the Court of Owls kidnapped Robin while he was on patrol alone one night. His friends searched for him, only to find a fake, shredded body that looked too much like him with Robin's blood. While the public mourned for the Boy wonder's "death", The Court of Owls shaped Richard to become their greatest weapon.

Richard resisted, but because of his disobedience, the Owls went to the extreme and experimented on him. Richard became an owl in a sense, and nearly lost his humanity in the progress, but what prevented him from losing it all together was the memories of his loved one and the thought of them being out there and alive. Fueled with rage and vengeance, he pretended to be a loyal Talon to the Court and trained under them until he finally found the opening to strike, starting with his Great-Grandfather, William Cobb.

The Court of Owl is dead. Now remained the lone, rogue Owl who vows to become its own Talon and spill the blood of the worst of worst criminals.

Might turn this into a story, but I'm still uncertain. I need your opinions, so plz review.