"Now, Cornos, remember don't go anywhere while we're gone. Got it?" Horings stated. He had a firm stance but a warm glow in his eye as he spoke. Cornos loved his father more than anything. It was his mother he didn't like. Pora had a very odd way of 'showing love' as his father put it. She would often ignore him and when she didn't ignore him she was yelling at him or smaking him with his wings. She hardly smaked him but she did yell a lot. His father acted different around her, as well.
His father, a normally calm and compassionate guy, would suddenly start ignoring his son. He would also flick him from time to time when Cornos tried to speak up against his mother. Cornos never blamed his dad. Female owls were often bigger than the males and his father knew that this female was particularly big. Not just in height but she had muscle with her as well. Pora was the daughter of a rogue smith. She originally planned to be one too, but that dream ended when her father told her he never wanted her to be one. Her father crushed her dreams and now that's all she does to her young and only owlet.
There was a reason Cornos was the only owlet. Pora seemed to hate him so much that Horings felt it was safer not to have any more. Cornos didn't mind being the only one, it ment no one else had to go through what he did. He'd hate for that to happen to anyone; especially to a younger brother or sister.
He also didn't mind it because there was always his nest maid. Matilda was a very kind snake with especially bright scales. She, like all nest maids, was born blind with very finely tuned senses. She stands by Cornos when ever he gets depressed, which is often.
But back to the story. "Yes I know da. You don't want me to get hurt." Cornos calmly looked up at his father. "Though, I can't make any promises when it comes to my passion."
"Yes. I know. Though I wish you would, one of these days your mother will find out you've been smithing in your free time. You know how she feels about blacksmiths."
"Yeah, I do. Even if she catches me though I ain't gonna stop. It's my passion. She can suck racdrops for all I care." Cornos had a harsh way of speaking. He swore a lot and didn't stop even when in the presence of his mom. She's where he learned it after all.
"Son, you know you shouldn't speak like that. It's horrid language!" His father huffed, then looked to make sure Pora wasn't around to hear. "Now, I'll be back. Matilda keep close watch on him. Please." With that last plea his father was gone. Cornos sighed.
"What's the matter deary?" Matilda slithered up onto the young owls shoulders.
"Nothing. It's just he forgot that he was supposed to have my first flight ceremony today." Cornos was actually close to tears. Matilda could sense it. She hugged him tight and hoped that this owl she'd never heard cry, no matter what, wouldn't cry now. "I'm okay now. I'm not gonna cry. I just...I want to have my ceremony myself. But first, those claws I've been working on. So if I fall I won't be unprotected, ya know?" Matilda couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You promised your father you wouldn't do any of that. So get back in the nest and stay here." She slithered over to the opening of the hollow where Cornos had walked over to. She could hear the claws clanking on the branch outside. She knew he had made them in a great likeness of how his father had told him they were made as. Pora had told Horings many tales of her fathers travels. Pora had described the battle claws her father made and Horings described them to Cornos. And Cornos, having inherited the amazing smiths skills his grandfather had, made copies of them.
"And he promised to have my ceremony today. Guess we all break promises sometimes, huh?" There was a layer of hate ruining Cornos's usual pleasant voice. Matilda didn't like it. Not one bit. Though she had to admit he had a point.
"I'm coming with you then. Got it?" Matilda didn't wait for an answer as she slithered once again onto Cornos's shoulders.
"Fine. Just don't blame me if I happen to fall and crush you." Cornos was trying to warn her off, but he knew it wouldn't work.
Cornos spread out his wings and lept from the branch. As he beated his wings he made sure they were silent, but he got so preoccupied with silence he wasn't paying attention to the branch coming towards him. "Oof!"