Welcome back everyone, and I hope you've been enjoying my story thus far. Sense I haven't gotten a review yet, I can only assume I did everything all right. Sense I started writing this chapter on Christmas, Merry Christmas to everyone! I'll stop typing out of character and get to the story now.
My entire body ached, like I'd been roasted on an open fire. A powerful burning sensation had taken a hold of my entire body. This pain- never had I felt anything like it before. I tried to open my eyes, but my vision was so blurry that I could hardly see anything. I saw what looked to be flames and mangled a heap of what I thought was metal.
"Are you okay?" I heard of female voice shout. I couldn't speaking or even move my neck to find the woman. "Oh no… I have to get Hlodir!" She shouted again. After what sounded like a quick flutter of wings, I couldn't keep consciousness anymore, slipping back into darkness.
The pain had been help, but it was still there. I opened my eyes to realize I wasn't in the same place as before. Unforunately, I still couldn't see anything very well. I could tell I was in a walled structure and that I was in a bed of some kind, but other than that, I couldn't tell where I was.
"How is he?" asked the familiar yet unknown female voice. I knew from that point that she had to be somewhere else in the room. Curse my body keeping me from moving!
Just then I heard a different voice; one that was much older and more masculine. "I do not know, young one, but from what I could tell, the owlet wasn't hurt at all in the human mistake." The owlet? The human mistake? Who are these people? Questions like these flourished though my mind as the confusion sank in like a vampire to pray.
"If he wasn't hurt, then why is he out cold?" asked the questioning female yet again. "Wait, his eyes are opened!" That's when I saw her. She stepped over me, but from what I saw, I thought my vision was playing tricks on me. She had the shape of light grey bird of some kind. Maybe my brother was right; I do need to be put in a mental hospital. Then it hit me. "Austin!" I shouted, scared and hurt. I sprang up a little bit as the shock hit me.
"Austin! Are you all right? Austin!" I kept shouting, despite the pain flowing throughout my entire body. At the time, I really didn't know why I was so panicked. After all the hate I've received from him, you'd think I'd be just fine with him hurt.
"Calm down, owlet! You're going to hurt yourself!" I heard the older one demand, but I just kept going. Then, I felt a something gentle brush against my cheek and I almost instantly calmed down. It was the gentle bush of what felt like feathers against the side of my face. "Calm down. It'll be all right." Her voice was so comforting. She almost sounded like my mom for a moment. My mom- If only she knew about the wreck. Oh would she be angry, but I'm sure Austin would have a cover up for it. The more and more I thought of Austin the sadder I felt. I didn't even know if he was alive.
I set myself back down on the bed and forced out the only words I could muster. "Where am I?" I closed my eyes again as I waited for an answer.
"You're at my hollow, young Tyto. Now, just rest. Please, try to regain your strength." His voice replied, deep and burly like always. Tyto? Is that Frutherland's way of saying man? Rather than getting any answers, I just received more and more questions. How was I to rest with so little unsolved?
A few hours later, my eye sight was starting to recover. As I glanced around, it looked as if I was in a massive hollowed-out log; something that looked as if to be a house in the old Winnie the Poo stories.
She came back over to me. "Still can't sleep?" She asked, stepping over to my bedside. Now that I could see her, I couldn't reply. I just stared at her in shock. She was a bird- an owl to be exact. She raised an eye brow in confusion. "What's the matter?"
"You're a… talking owl?" I stammered, heart pounding in distress. "I'm… I'm dreaming again… or I am dead… or…" I kept ranting on and on, as hysterical as ever. Finally, she raised one of her wings and covered it over my mouth. "And you're a talking owl too. Now that we have that cleared up, how are you feeling?"
I'm a talking owl? Surely, she's joking? I recovered quickly to protest. "I'm not an owl! I'm human!" I quickly said in my defense, but she just looked at me like I was insane. "Then you're quite the small and feathery human, aren't you?"
I went to stand up, reaching my arms to get out of bed, but my arms unfortunately was no longer there, replaced by a dark brown wings. "No…" My breath grew deeper as I pulled myself from the bed and I stumbled over to a large piece of broken glass. I stared hard at my reflection for it wasn't the me I remembered. It was now a barn owl; the one from my dreams. I stared; what much else could I do?
"Are… Are you all right?" She asked me, setting her gentle wing on my shoulder. I could tell she was trying to be comforting, but this was just too much for me to take in.
"No! I'm not all right! I'm a bird now! A flipping bird! What am I going to do? What's mom and dad going to think when they see me? Will they even know it's me?" I was starting to break down; tears where building in my eyes. I was dead. I really didn't even exist anymore. Good bye old me and hello new. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. All I knew was that I was an owl- a bird of prey and the night.
She was taken aback by me. She must've felt deep down the stress I was in. "So, you say you were human, and you mean it?" She thought for a moment, and then corrected herself. "You know you were human at one point, I actually meant?"
"Yes… I know it… My brother, mom, and dad are all humans… My brother wasn't watching the road because of me… This is all my fault…" I had started cried lightly at this point, not caring anymore if I embarrassed myself.
"It's okay, owlet… Um… human-let…" She said, unsure as to what to call me. "I'll go get my uncle… He's the mystic in these parts… Maybe he'll know how to help you…" She quickly walked away, spreading her wing wide and flying directly out of the hollow though the large hole in the side.
She left me there, like my brother had left me at the airport. I felt lonely again, along with all the other emotions I felt. I was feeling so many emotions that they can't all be named. The burning sensation didn't even hurt as much as the feelings anymore.
I was helpless. I felt helpless anyways. The darkness of night hung the air around me. My world was now upside down. My human life was gone, and I knew I'd eventually have to come to terms with that, but at the time, I didn't want to yet.
"So, you're the chosen one?" I heard the old man's voice say. I turned my head to see a small yet burly whisker screech owl climbing into the hollow. "I am Hlodir, the mystic here… We keep records of information, such as stories and prophecies passed down through the generations." Like my… dad…
"You see, young Tyto, there is a prophecy that foretells of the one who is owl and does not know. He will come when no one is excepts it, and he know very little about our world. He will claim to be from another world, but in time, learn to accept his fate as to be part of ours. Young one, if what you claim is true, then we need to start branching. You have quite the flight ahead of you." After he'd finished his words, the owl female from earlier climbed into the hollow behind him.
"I really didn't get to introduce myself earlier." she spoke quickly. "I'm Faith. I found you at a human mistake nearby. I guess maybe you were involved in it." Faith stopped talking, not wanting to bring up anything that might cause pain to me.
"What is your name, chosen one?" asked Hlodir, standing by the entrance to the hollow. "If I am to be your teacher, then I need a proper name to call upon you."
"I'm… I'm James…" I answered back, trying to hold back the pain. "And if I am to be your 'chosen one' then you must promise to help me find my brother… or at least his body…"
"Deal…" replied the elderly owl, nodding with dreary eyes.
Well everyone, Chapter 2 is now through! I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please review, if you can. That's what drives me to keep going. Even if it's something hard and constructive, it makes me feel like I can get better. Thank you all who read to this point. I really do appreciate it.