The Legend of the Guardians 3: The Two Brothers

by Mongoose Lover

After the death of Surtur, Kludd has become the new leader of the Pure Ones. Soren, meanwhile, advances, through the ranks of the Guardians. After Soren turns down Kludd's offer to join him, Kludd and Nyra enlist a young female owl named Ginger as well as their son Nyroc to join and destroy the Guardians from the inside while they make plans to lay siege to the Great Tree of Hoole.

1. Chapter 3: Reunion

CHAPTER THREE: REUNION

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In the Land of Ga'hoole, the Tyto owl Soren rested in the Great Tree. He lived here with his family. Well, most of his family. His father and mother and younger sister Eglatine lived here. His brother Kludd, however, was presumed dead, though his body had never been found. Though Kludd had joined the Pure Ones and repeatedly had tried to kill him, Soren had taken his seeming death hard and was glad to learn that, based on the lack of a body found in the canyon near the old lair of the Pure Ones, that Kludd had to still be alive.

A messenger owl, one of the younger owlets who hoped to one day be a Guardian, approached him. "I've got a message from one of the Pure Ones."

Soren rolled his eyes in disgust. Whatever they had to say was certainly not going to be to his liking. After they'd kidnapped him and made him work as a slave, taking flex from the pellets of other owls, he'd formed a rather negative opinion of them, to say the least. "What position does this fellow hold in the ranks of the Pure Ones?" Soren asked.

"He says that he is the High Tyto and leader."

Soren was confused. After Metal Beak's death, Nyra should have been the new leader, yet the owl had clearly used the pronoun 'he', indicating a male. "They've gotten a new leader?"

"Apparently."

"Who is it?"

"They wouldn't say. Only that he wanted to meet with you, alone."

"Alone?"

"So he said."

Soren remembered what his brother, Kludd, had said about his belief that honor was merely a word for weakness. "How do we know he'll keep his word?" he asked.

"We can have Guardians nearby to help if trouble arises, but I think it's best if we keep our word on our side at least."

Several hours later, Soren stood alone on a lonely hill on the other side of the Sea of Hulameer. Was he walking into some kind of Pure One ambush? Surely they must have great ill will toward them after he had killed their leader, the infamous Metal Beak. A few minutes later, he saw a lone owl approaching. At first, he thought that it was Metal Beak, though he had personally killed Surtr and seen him die. "Who are you?" he asked the Pure One leader.

"You know who I am, Soren." the owl replied. Soren knew that voice. It couldn't be!

"Kludd? Oh Glaux no!" Soren gasped.

"Yes brother, it is I."

"Kludd!" Soren cried again. Despite having just learned that his brother was the leader of the Pure Ones, he reached out and hugged his brother, glad to know that he was alive.

Kludd didn't hug him back, but he didn't tell him off either. "You still with the Guardians, Soren?" he asked.

"Yes. They help the world, unlike the Pure Ones. I cannot believe that you'd still stay with the Pure Ones after they left you to die."

"Yes, they did, but I came back, and I became their leader."

"How?"

"Well, that's an interesting story, brother."