A/N: Since it's the new year for me, I thought I'd give you people something. Also because I have so many already completed chappys. So have fun. Plus, new musical themes.
Kage + Saki + Chris: Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos
Disclaimer: I don't own KH or Guardians of Ga'hoole. They belong to their respective owners. My four characters still belong to me.
Chapter 11
Bright Futures
After the adrenaline rush, Tempest's flying became sloppy, barely managing to stay afloat. He was flying behind the owls, to both hide his suddenly sloppy flying and to watch out for more Heartless beyond the thick mist.
Soren was looking for a place to land, a place to tend to Gylfie's wound and to rest up. For that to happen, the three of them were flying pretty low to the ground, even if the ground was barely visible.
"Hey…" Gylfie slowed down to fly beside Tempest, "We never go a name from you."
"Tempest," He supplied, looking up momentarily at the little owl.
"I'm Gylfie," She said, trading names.
"And I'm Soren," Said owl had slowed down too, flying by the opposite side of Tempest.
"Yeah, I know. I heard your introduction when Gylfie first appeared," Tempest told them, leaving the owls stunned, "I was the blindfolded owl. But I doubt you'd remember."
"Wait," Soren gave a confused look down, "You're the one who took on a great fox?"
"Less took on and more ambushed," Tempest sheepishly replied, looking away.
"A great fox?" Gylfie asked, confused, "Is it a large Fennec Fox?"
"A fennec fox?" Soren questioned, having no idea what that was.
"Mmmm…" Tempest hummed, focusing on his flying before answering, "More orange, more aggressive, and way bigger."
"Oh…" She gulped.
They fly in silence after that, with Gylfie constantly muttering something about no being able to see the stars.
Tempest was really ready to pop out that old, musty potion he got back on his last world on her leg. He didn't, as the conservative side of his brain said no, bad.
Soren suddenly slowed down, looking back at Tempest and Gylfie.
"Hey guys, are you hungry?" Soren asked out of the blue.
"Huh? Why?" Gylfie tilted her head
"Watch this."
Soren dove down, tucking in his wings. Right before he hit the ground, he spread his wings and stretched out his talons, snatching a moth off its grass-blade perch.
"Nice," Tempest congratulated, landing on the ground in front of Soren. Gylfie landed on an unearthed tree root behind them, with her injured leg held up.
"Hey!" A small owl jumped up from his hiding spot, his brown coat and overall presence suppression keeping him hidden from Tempest. The little owl cocked his head, looking at the moth in Soren's ha-claws. "Oh~, nice hunting. You should be really proud of yourself, catching a moth that's already been caught!"
The owl hopped around Soren accusingly.
"Wait… You hadn't caught it…" The barn owl stated.
"Mm! I was close! One might say I was this close!" the owl stood up straight and looked Soren in the eyes with his talon raised up and claws making a space.
Soren let go of the still live moth in surprise, watching as it fluttered up and out of sight.
"Perfect," The owl sighed, dropping his talon.
"Ahem," Gylfie coughed, alerting the owl of her presence in the mist. He jumped up in shock before steeling his small body like they were about to assault him.
"An ambush!" he exclaimed, "Well, I bet you didn't count on this!"
He hopped back into his hiding place and started to fling dirt at Soren and Tempest, as though he were digging a hole. Tempest raised his wing to block most of the dirt, listening as pebbles and brown clumps bounced off his feathers.
"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to take your moth," Gylfie apologized, hopping off her tree root perch and onto the ground behind the larger owls.
"It wasn't his moth," Soren retorted, looking back at Gylfie. Just then, the owl popped his head up from his hidey hole.
"Yes, it was," he said back, before returning to throwing dirt and other natural objects at them.
"Look, we're sorry," Gylfie said, peeking out from behind Soren's wing, "We were just looking for a place to hide and rest."
The waves of flying dirt stopped and the owl looked out from the rim of the newly dug hole.
"In which order?"
"What do you mean?" She questioned, walking out from cover.
"Huge!" the owl exclaimed, jumping out of his burrow, "If you need to hide first, I'd say you were in big trouble. But if resting was on your mind, I'd say your situation wasn't as dire."
"If we were being chased, we wouldn't be speaking to you right now, half-pint," Tempest stated, bluntly, lowering his wing.
"Hey!" the owl shouted, "I prefer the name Digger, not half-pint!"
"Sure, squirt," Tempest drawled, making Digger fume at his words.
"We're on our way to the Sea of Hoolemere. We're gonna find the Guardians of Ga'hoole." Soren cut in, looking a little desperate as he pushed Tempest away with his wing.
"Really? Three owlets like you will never reach the sea," Digger said, giving Tempest the stink eye, "There are some really scary beats out that way!"
"Scary beasts?" Soren spoke the words like they were foreign. Digger nodded, turning around.
"If the Hawks don't make quick lunch of you, then the buzzards will. And if the buzzards don't get you... The black dingoes wait in the trees~and as you fly by…"
"Look, half-pint," Tempest cut in, pushing Soren's wing away, "Our request is as Gylfie said, we need a place to rest and to tend to her wound. Do you have room?"
Digger leaned to the right to get a look at Gylfie, and upon seeing her, his face softened. He shook his body before reintroducing himself.
"Name's Digger. The hollow's this way," Digger gave Tempest a warning glare before hopping off to the right. Soren followed the hyperactive owl, Tempest and Gylfie close behind them.
"Going to the sea, huh?" Digger said as they were approaching a large, hollow oak, "You know what they call owls who fly towards the sea?"
"Uh, no." Soren and Gylfie answered simultaneously.
"Lost!" Digger finished for himself, letting Tempest groan at the god-awful joke, "It's hilarious. I have another one for you. What do you call an owl…?"
He stopped mid-line, hopping into the dark wood hollow.
"Twilight! We've got company!" He called out. The other three peered in, watching as Digger jumped down. A larger owl was in there too, wrestling with a purple-pink snake.
"Put me down this instant!" which talked. This was mildly uncomfortable for Tempest. "This is highly disrespectful!"
The large, grey owl, who Tempest assumed was named Twilight, pinned the snake under his talon.
"Dinner is served," He said, shooting the snake a glare, "And she will not stop talking."
Soren jumped down, looking as if he recognized the serpent. He ducked under a branch inside the hollow.
"Mrs. P? Mrs. P! It's me, Soren!"
"Uhhh, do you know what's happening?" Tempest asked Gylfie.
"Er, I heard that Tytos have snake nursemaids. I'm guessing Mrs. P is Soren's," Gylfie answered, watching the two reunite with each other.
"Soren! Oh, it can't be. Every day, I've been looking for you and Kludd, and then this…" Mrs. P looked up from coiling onto Soren and stared at the grey owl in spite, "To be snatched up by this monstrosity."
Twilight recoiled from the words.
"Monstro…?" He turned to face Digger, "The audacity! Digger, who are these tiny owls and why are they talking to Dinner?"
"My name's not Dinner!"
"Well, dinner's rather moody, isn't it?"
The snake hissed angrily just as Soren stood in front of Twilight.
"Wait. She's not dinner," He told him, "She's my nursemaid."
"I hate being driven to hiss," Mrs. P said, shaking her head, "So unladylike…"
"Mrs. P, these are my new friends. This is Gylfie," Soren gestured to said owl on the branch, "Tempest, Digger. And Twilight, is it?"
"Charmed to meet you, dinner," Twilight bowed, "Oh, I mean, Mrs. P."
"These three are going to the Sea of Hoolemere," Digger piped up, "To find the Guardians."
"Really?" Twilight questioned.
"What? No, Soren, we need to get you home. Your parents are so worried." Mrs. P said, voice filled with urgency.
"No, you don't understand, Mrs. P. Kludd and I were kidnapped," Soren told her.
"Mercy!" She shouted.
"He's still held captive. I have to find the Guardians. They're the only ones that can save him."
'From captivity? Yes. From the Darkness infecting him… I don't think they can…' Tempest thought bitterly, face tensing up. Gylfie seemed to notice, only to be blocked by Twilight, who hopped onto the branch in between them.
"An adventure afoot!" Twilight thundered, pulling out an animal horn lute from nowhere, "Danger. Intrigue! The stuff of songs~"
"Oh, no, not the lute~" Digger moaned, jumping off the branch and stuffing his head in a pre-made hole.
"But such things have no effect on me...for I am a poet as much as a warrior," Twilight said, clearing his throat after, "If you will…
Though his nursemaid tells him no
This boy will not be tamed
He flies off into danger
To be battered, bruised and maimed~
"Just because it's sung doesn't make it a song!" Digger complained.
"That poem just came to me, if you will believe it," Twilight boasted, ignoring the smaller owl.
"I think they can believe it," Digger huffed.
"Right…" Soren said, skeptically before turning," Well, sounds like we've got a long journey, so… Mrs. P? Look, you know it's what Da would want."
"That's just why I'm coming with you," She said determinedly.
"What!?" Digger jumped forward, "No! Please don't leave us here. You're the first new souls we've seen in eight moons!"
"If I have to hear any more of his ridiculous owl jokes…" Twilight grumbled.
"They're a Hoot!"
"They are not,"
"Well, if I have to hear him play one more quote-unquote 'song', I'm going to tear my gizzard out!"
"How dare you!"
"Let's get out…" Soren said, pushing Gylfie and Tempest out the way they came.
"Please, please don't go! Do you even know the way to the Sea of Hoolemere? Twilight knows the way!" Digger kicked Twilight to get him going.
"Of course! Of course, I know the way! We are off the Sea of Hooledance!"
"It's Hoolemere…"
"Hoolemere!" Twilight corrected himself.
"Soren…" Tempest looked at the young owl wearily, "Can we just bring them along? They're going to follow us either way…"
"Alright," Soren announced, "Show us the way to Hoolemere."
_|-w-|_
"Hey, you know, Mrs. P. you might be the first snake ever to fly," Digger complemented, watching the snake in the hollow lute.
"You know, I think I am. And I quite like it too," She chuckled, letting her forked tongue out.
"Tempest," Gylfie slowed down, "You alright?"
"Eh, other then my crappy flying," Tempest shrugged, "I'm good."
"Are you sure?" She pushed on, "You looked a bit tense when Soren talked about his brother…"
"Kludd?"
"Mmhm,"
"...I saw something bad happen to him," Tempest breathed, "What effect it had...I-I don't know…"
"What about that friend you said Soren was like?" Gylfie asked, letting the topic drop.
"Really like digging, doncha?" Tempest snorted.
"I didn't mean to-"
"Mmm, I can spare you a few things,"
"Really?"
"My friend… he's less like a friend and more like an old memory. He just… appeared one day and disappeared the next," Tempest seemed to smile faintly at the memory, "He was a weird kid."
"Oh, joy!" Twilight exclaimed, "It seems some friends have come to celebrate our departure, Digger!"
"What do you mean, Twilight? We lived alone for eight moons!"
Vaguely black shadows were caught by navy blue eyes, making him tense up.
"Watch out!" Tempest's sudden warning made everyone listen. He pulled out the Celestial Bronze katana, wielding it in both talons in its shrunk form.
"Woah!" A vulture shaped Heartless with lanky legs and dragon-like wings dove down from above, almost striking Tempest.
'And, here we have a problem,' He grimaced, looking up at more of the Heartless appeared.
"Don't they look like Hagsfiends!?" Someone shouted as Tempest tackled one of them. As soon as he go a chance, Tempest impaled the creature with the blade, making it release a hideous screech before it disintegrated.
"Take that!" Tempest spotted Twilight bashed a vulture with his lute, Mrs. P coiled around his neck as he did so.
The limp body plummeted down to the ground, only to disintegrate into black dust before it crashed.
Tempest made his wingtips touch, lighting them with blue flames and diving down towards the largest group. As soon as he was close enough, just under a metre to the closest vulture, he let the pent-up magic loose.
"Azure Arc!" He spread his wings, launching an arc of blue fire at the vulture, decimating them entirely.
"This was a great battle!" Twilight announced as they recovered, "I believe it deserves a song written to great… what was your name again?"
"Tempest…"
"To great Tempest's name!"
"Oh, no, please don't,"
"Oh~-
_|-w-|_
"Oh, oh, oh. I've got another one," Digger said after hours upon hours of flying, "Knock, knock."
"Please don't respond…" Twilight begged.
"Who's there?" Gylfie asked, generally interested. That, or there was nothing else to really do.
"Don't encourage him,"
"Well, he's like this when you start singing…"
"Owls," Digger continued.
"Owls...who?"
"Here it comes," Twilight mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Ha! That's right!" Digger cheered, quickening his flapping, "Owls whoo."
"I told you,"
"Because owls whoo."
"Funny," Gylfie said, trying not to groan. Twilight, however, wasn't as kind.
"Absolutely pathetic,"
"Heh, absolutely…" Tempest snorted.
"Oh, don't you start too,"
"It's a very complex one, but is…"
Tempest veered off course, seeing a stash of pages in a tree hollow. Landing on the rim of the hole, he picked up the pages.
Entry #18
Apparently, Outer Worlds didn't originate from the first World. Xehanort says that they come from beyond the border of this Universe, as they leak in from the Multiverse. Why do they have keyholes?
So they existed before the first World got split into a bajillion pieces, some that turn into Worlds, others remain space junk, their core we call Gummi material. They now constantly drift in EVERLASTING DARKNESS, forever separated from themselves.
Got that out of my system, never like it in my system. I don't like darkness, it tastes like oil. Crude oil.
-Xehanort lessons.
Entry #19
χ-blade, chi-blade, keyblade. What's the difference aside from spelling? Well, the χ-blade, or Chi-blade, is directly tied to Kingdom Hearts and was forged for it by some godly being or whatever. After a massive war, called the Keyblade War, Kingdom Hearts was displeased with the humans and split the χ-blade into 13 pieces of Darkness and 7 of light. Why the uneven number? The Worlds my never know. Maybe KH just said 'Let's be a jerk to the Guardians of light and give them the lucky number 7, which is six less than thirteen'.
Anyways, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as the people created the Keyblades in the image of the χ-blade. They apparently bribed one of the three deities of their time to create Keyblades out of a piece of their hearts, so they can transfer that power to everyone else.
Apparently, they asked the wrong god, as they asked the Warrior instead of the Forger. So most of their blades look the same until they forged new bonds and created more keychains from said bonds. Or they got some moogle to synthesize one for them. Either or. (Some even say Moogles are the servants of the Forger, as he taught their first gen how to synthesize items. That's one of their many origin stories.)
Well, I guess the Forger was absolutely disgusted by his brother's work so he fixed them. Somewhat. So that's why everyone gets their very own, one of a kind, Keyblades. I think. I don't actually know.
-More Lessons
Entry #20
...The Master's exam… Four years away. Gotta ask Mr. Bald and all knowing. Other than that, nothing new asides from, well, all the worlds we've been visiting. Giant fucking foxes too.
Entry #21
Outer World time is hard to track, especially the ones cloaked in darkness. Some of them run faster, others run slower than regular time, and until the darkness is lifted, they will continue on like that. If darkness spikes, it will either run extremely slow or fast depending on which way it's already going.
So the world we visited today may not look the same after a few months. Even after the damage that 'Zero Reverse' thing, this place won't be the same.
I did some good deeds, saving some kids and such. Even with the no meddling rule, saving people who would've died right in front of you isn't a crime, is it? Xehanort didn't seem to have a problem with it, so I'm just going to do me.
As soon as Tempest finished reading, the pages lit themselves on fire and were burned into a crisp before he could do anything about it.
"Huh, better check on the journal after I leave…" He told himself, a little confused by the self-incineration.
_|-w-|_
"You're not from Tyto forest?" Soren asked.
"Nope, never heard of it before Mrs. Nyra started spewing stuff about race supremacy," Tempest confirmed, shifting on the branch he was perched on.
"Then where did you come from? How did you end up in Tyto forest?"
"Er, I… had a rough landing… in the… storm I was caught in," Tempest half-lied, hoping it would stick.
"Oh, good thing you're okay now,"
Twilight was humming some tune, strumming his lute.
"As for where I came from…" Tempest looked away, listening to the faint breathing of Gylfie and Digger, "I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Master's orders," Tempest answered smoothly with a slight tilt of his head.
"Alright then…"
_|-w-|_
"Hey… Weren't there just two crows following us before?" Tempest asked, flying closer to the middle of the group.
The daylight was waning and the group was flying over a shallow sandstone canyon, a few selective bushes and trees growing on the walls.
"Humm? Why yes, I've been watching them ever since the first one," Twilight huffed.
"Oh!" Digger chirped, "I got a new one!"
"Really, Digger? Must you?" Twilight said, extremely annoyed.
"Know what an owl says when he's pecked by a crow?"
"Guys… there's more now…"
"Ow!"
"That's right! 'Ow'!"
There was a massive group of crows now, some having blue dye painted on their feathers while others had an assortment of multicoloured beads tied into their fluff. One of them had attacked Gylfie.
"Hey! Get out of here!" Twilight shooed, waving his lute around and trying to hit the crows. "Oh, that is it." Trying being the keyword.
"Oi! What the heck?!" Tempest shouted, chasing after the lute thief.
"Oh, let them have it. Good riddance," Digger huffed.
"What about her?" Tempest shot back, hovering in place.
"Wait, who?" Realization hit Digger like a speeding eagle. "Oh, no!"
"Oh, yes!" Twilight exclaimed, picking up speed and diving into the canyon to make chase.
"Mrs. P!"
'At least they aren't Heartless…'
The world seemed to warp at those thoughts, some of the crows bursting into misty black comets before reforming into Air Soldiers.
"Holy-" Tempest choked, bringing out his Keyblade talons and blocking an attack from the nearest one. He flipped over to the other side of the winged monstrosity and, in a swift striking motion, carved six lines into its back and effectively detached the wings from it.
Two more Air Soldiers assaulted Tempest from either side.
"Nope!" He tucked his wings and let himself drop out of the sky, letting the Soldiers strike themselves.
"Fira!" And a nice bolt of flame to finish them off.
"Away, you vile creatures!"
Tempest spread his wings again and flew off to the direction of the shouting.
"Aero!"
He collided with a crow, sweeping it away with his talons.
"Tempest! You've arrived just in time to watch this glorious takedown!" Twilight exclaimed. Before anything else could happen, the large grey owl locked talons with Soren. He spun Soren around a few times before launching the barn owl at the lute thief. Knocking the lute out of the crow's grasp, Soren caught it and landed on a small, sandstone plateau.
After kicking away a crow that was too close for comfort, Tempest landed beside Digger and joined with scaring the remaining black-winged birds.
"Mrs. P!" Soren was looking into the open side of the lute, calling out to the snake nursemaid. She eventually came out looking a bit dizzy from all the aerial maneuvers.
"Are you alright, Miss?" Tempest asked out of concern, a little worried from all the hysterical laughing.
"I'm quite alright, deary. It was quite a ride," She chuckled, "Let's do it again."
"Owl, you sure can fly," Twilight said, complementing Soren.
"Thank you, Twilight," He thanked.
"Well, here we are," Twilight said, raising a wing over the huge body of water, "The Sea of Hoolemere."
With the setting sun in the distance and the stars now shining up above in the sky, the sea was a shimmer of liquid gold and sapphire. It looked alive, with the waves hitting the side of the cliff and the constant warping of the water's surface.
"It's just so big," Soren said in pure awe.
"Yes, it's a right big puddle there," Digger said with a tilt of his head.
"I don't know…" Twilight said, looking a little skeptical, "You really think the Guardians out there?"
"They have to be," Soren replied determinedly.
Tempest had closed his eyes, wanting to test something out.
"Huh, so that's how it works," He muttered, looking out at the group of multicoloured hearts. He identified Gylfie, Soren, Digger and Twilight being the brighter ones, Mrs. P was the one near the ground. There was one in the bushes that he couldn't identify.
"The Band! Finally!" Tempest snapped his eyes open just to face a spiny rodent-like thing. He had light blue face-paint on, some of his spines also having the paint and little beads just like the crows.
"Who's there?" Everyone else besides Tempest said, spinning around. They only relaxed a little upon seeing the rodent...thing.
"Your arrival 'twas foretold. 'Twas foretold trespassers would land on my shore," he said, waving it's decorated staff at the group.
"Look, we mean you no harm," Soren said, sounding a little apologetic.
"Yes, 'twas foretold as well," the rodent waved it off.
"We've flown a long way-"
"'Twas foretold," he cut in.
"And we're very tired," Soren finished.
"Foretold!" He leaped at Soren, his staff almost tapping the owl's peak. "Now, state your desire, owl."
"Wel…"
"Wait," Gylfie hopped off her perch at the edge of the little plateau, "If you really know all, then how come you don't know that?"
"Ah!" the rodent-like thing shuffled over to her, "'Twas foretold there would be one who doubts."
"Is anyone else having trouble with this?" Gylfie asked, looking around.
"Yes, I kind of am," Digger admitted.
"I...I don't know?" Tempest was staring at the rodent was an extremely confused expression on his face.
"Da said, 'guided by the spines of the echidna.'" A look of epiphany from Soren, "Wait! Wait, you're an echidna!"
"I am The Echidna! And it was foretold you would need some help getting there," he proclaimed, waving his staff around vigorously.
"Well, then, I should tell you, we seek the Guardians," Soren said.
"He should already know that," Gylfie said, clenching her beak, a sour look on her face.
"I do, doubter," The Echidna shot Gylfie a look before returning his focus to Soren, "Go on."
"Da said your spines can guide us," Soren looked like he was in pure awe, being in the presence of a legendary figure of sorts.
"And they will! Now, to reach the Tree, keep between the Whale's Fin and the Eye of Glaux." The Echidna raised his staff to show the stars to the group, "Never go outside those stars. Now go! All of you!"
Nobody makes so much as a noise. The Echidna grunts in annoyance.
"'Twas foretold that the Band would hesitate. But that in time would become a family!" He was going off on another rant, making Tempest extremely uneasy.
'I'm not planning to stay that long.' He thought.
"And a family needs all of its members to play their parts!" The Echidna shuffled over to Twilight, "The Warrior-"
"Poet warrior, please. Thank you," Twilight cut in, bowing.
"Hmm, fine, strong and noble." Over to Digger, "The Tracker, sturdy and faithful."
He travels over to Gylfie, and pokes her in the chest, "The Navigator, who doubts."
Gylfie, upon hearing that, huffed in annoyance.
"The Guardian, who protects the light of the group," Tempest looked down incredulously at The Echidna.
'Does he know how close he is to the truth?'
"The Leader, whose gizzard is strong," Soren looked hesitant to receive such a privilege.
"And finally, of course, the heart," He leaned down to Mrs. P's level.
"Aw…"
"Wait," He opened his eyes, "Are you a snake?"
"Yes, I am." He shrivelled away in disgust.
The Echidna recomposed himself, waddling to the front of the group.
"You've all come this far, each protecting the other. So go. Look to the sky, and fly." He announced, raising his staff towards the stars.
"All right," Soren spread his wings, "Let's go."
They all took off, one by one, off the plateau and towards what Tempest assumed was their destination.
"Remember, when your wings are weak… your spirits done… and you've flown as far as you can… you're halfway there!"
"What did he say?" Gylfie asked, mildly interested.
"We're halfway there!" Digger chirped happily, "Oh, yeah! Woo-Hoo! This is gonna be a breeze~"
"Sure, bud, sure…" Tempest said, rolling his eyes.
A/N: (Standards are too high) Damn, when did you get that tall? Eh, I'll deal with you later.
*Just doesn't*
Follow, review, asked unasked things, etc. Not much else to say other then I was never really happy with this Chappy, no matter what I did with it.
~Storm