A Guardian's Revenge

Read A/N at the end please :)

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTG

Chapter 5: Memories

James had decided to lie down in his new nest after finishing his meal. It was soft and comfortable and he nearly fell asleep a couple of times, which was something he didn't want because he needed to get adjusted to owl sleeping patterns if he was staying here. He had been lying there for a couple of hours now and it was still hours from dawn and he was struggling to stay awake. He was expecting Adina to come back any minute now to show him around but she had yet to show.

As he sat there he began to think about recent events. Getting to the Great Tree through a violent storm, learning about his farther by a short lesson from king Boron, meeting the Echidna. All in all it had been a very eventful two days, but then again most of James' life has been eventful. With that thought in mind his thoughts turned to what he came here for. It was a fool's errand in truth. One seagull against a cult of Tyto owls, if someone told you in the street you would call them crazy but James was a crazy bird, full of crazy ideas.

As he sat in his nest thinking of some of his memories from his adventures, he lost concentration on trying to stay awake. His eyes grew heavy and he slowly fell asleep.

The morning sun was just beginning to push up from the horizon. The orangey, yellow rays started to aluminate the dense Tyto forest and most of the owl inhabitants had returned to their hollows and turned in for the day. But one bird was just begging to stir and awaken from a little burrow underneath the roots of a large fern tree. The birds grey feathers looked like the ones young chicks get and that in turn gave him a young look, despite. A bird such as himself seemed out of place in place such as Tyto forest. After all seagull's were usually nested by the coast.

The young seagull began to get his bearings as the first rays of the sun leaked into the small burrow and hit his face. He groaned a he struggled to his feet. By his standards it was too early in the morning to get up. Once he was up and aware he looked over to the back wall of the small burrow. A black leather holster with a similar black metal handle sticking out from the top was both propped up against the wall. He walked over to them and proceeded to put them on. He had been in this forest for a week now with no food and the signs of hunger were more than visible on the seagull, it was surprising that he hadn't collapsed yet.

As he was strapping on his equipment he began to think of what went on last night. 'Was that all a dream?' he thought to himself, 'did I really do all that?' he asked himself. It had only been a week since he had lost everything. He had spent the first couple of days grieving over the loss of his family, friends and home but after those two days he came to realise what his mother had said to him and he did not want to let her down. So here he was now in Tyto forest with no clue what to do and no food.

It didn't look good but James hoped and hung in there waiting to see if something good would happen for a change but so far nothing had presented itself. He had finished putting on the holster and blade by the time he was lured away from his thoughts. He changed his focus to the world outside the small burrow and walked outside. Once outside he took a few steps forward before taking a few quick glances around the forest area. Everything seemed normal and the only thing James thought was another day of starving torture. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something walking up behind him.

He quickly spun around in a panic and jumped away a few paces before looking at what had spooked him. It was not what he had expected. A Barn owl loomed over him in an intimidating manner and the confused look he gave James made him more suspicious. He was not an old looking owl but he was not young either in fact he looked a little over forty and had a small scar the left side of his face. The owl's sudden appearance surprised James completely. How he had not heard the owl land behind him was something he didn't know and was rather curious about. They both stood there for a couple of moments, James was unsure as to what the owl was thinking but his young imaginative side took hold and he thought some crazy thoughts like 'Is this owl going to eat me!?' or 'I'm going to die here just after my family!' but none of these crazy thoughts were going through the Barn owls mind. In fact he just continued to look confused but seeing a James' worried expression grow he decided to break the silence.

"What are you doing here seagull?" he asked in a voice just like Noctus just slightly rougher.

James just looked surprised and didn't answer the question. The Barn owl just rolled his eyes.

"Speak boy, I am not going to hurt you," he reassured James. James gulped strongly but managed to come up with an answer.

"I.. I'm homeless," he said trying to avoid having to revel what really happened. The Barn owl was curious at James' answer and raised a brow.

"And that is because...?" the Barn owl asked. He looked at the holster on James' back but decided to push that subject later.

James opened his beak as if to say something but closed it and lowered his head as if to avoid the question. The Barn owl sighed and looked at the morning sky. No matter what time of day it was, Tyto forest is always a danger to birds on the ground. He turned back to James and saw that he was still facing the ground in a depressed way. The Barn owl debated whether to offer this seagull a resting place or not, but seeing as how young he was the Barn owl decided that he was no cause for alarm.

"Listen, kid, come with me I'll give you a rest stop for today, you look like you've had it rough." Little did he know as to how right he was.

James looked up to face him with a puzzled yet worried look. "Ma always said to never go with strangers," he stated. The Barn owl simply chuckled at his statement.

"Clever, kid, but trust me when I say that if I wanted to do anything then it would already be done and there are much worse things than me in this forest."

He had a point; James knew it and he James did also need a rest from a week of travel with no food. James very briefly thought it over before deciding that he had nothing to lose. His cautious look never leaving his young face he said, "Alright misters… take me there."

"Well we are already here actually. You camped out right underneath my hollow," he said with a small smile. James looked up at the tree, whose roots he had slept under. He hadn't noticed its size as of now but now he got a look at it, it was very tall.

"How do I get up there?" he asked, not directly at the barn owl. Before he knew what hit him, he found himself being lifted up and up towards the top of the large tree and let out a surprised 'Whoa' as he went up. He saw that he was indeed being lifted up by the Barn owl and his talons and within a matter of seconds they found themselves at the top of the tree. Once the Barn owl set James on the hollow floor he then landed himself. James stumbled on his feet for a little bit before stabilizing and shaking his head clear of dizziness. He was not used to being carried up high at high speed. But once he got his head clear he took a quick look at the Barn owls hollow. It was nice and spacious and it had a soft-looking nest at the back wall of the hollow and a smaller one closer to the hollow entrance. It looked as though the hollow had originally been designed for more than one person.

"This is nice," James said quietly but the Barn owls elite hearing picked up his mumble.

"Why thank you, but don't just stand there, come in or do you plan on getting down somehow?"

James looked over the edge of the hollow entrance and saw a shear death drop before him and he shook his head before proceeding into the Barn owls hollow. The Barn owl gestured to a place opposite him and James walked to it and waited for the Barn owl to speak.

"How long have you been in Tyto forest kid" was his question.

"Ab- about a week," James answered hesitantly, still unsure whether to trust this owl.

"And when was the last time you ate? You look thin," he said.

"I haven't eaten since I got here," was his reply and as if on cue his stomach growled. The Barn owls expression turned to surprise at that statement. For a kid to survive that long and at this age with no food was an achievement in itself. He looked James over for a few seconds before deciding on something. He proceeded to walk to the edge of the hollow and spread his golden brown wings.

"Whe-Where are you going," James asked cautiously.

"Wait here," was the simple reply and with that, the Barn owl took off. James had wondered where he was off too. When the Barn owl returned two minutes later, James was about to ask where he had been when he noticed that he was carrying what looked like two dead caterpillars that looked fairly decent in size. The Barn owl walked over to James and placed one at his feet.

"I know it is not something you seagulls eat, especially at your age, but it's either this or starve."

James looked at the big bug in front of him and didn't look happy. But after a week of not eating anything was a meal. He began to slowly rip tear the caterpillar. Piece by piece it slowly disappeared into the young seagull's belly. The Barn owl was impressed by James will to eat the bug. He was expecting a moaning child to whine about how it tasted bad but instead he was greeted by silence. He had also finished eating and decided to bring up a subject he had forgotten about since they were at the base of his tree.

"Hey, kid, what is a child your age doing with a weapon like that?" he asked.

James hesitated at his sudden question and tried to come up with a way of avoiding the question but his reply wasn't very satisfying to the Barn owl.

"I… I found it."

The Barn owl looked displeased and said "Look, kid, liars are bad and I can see through a lie easily, but that was so bad I didn't even need to try. So what are you doing with that weapon?"

James looked down depressed again. He knew he couldn't get around this Barn owl and knew he had no choice but to tell him.

"Ok mister, I'll… I'll tell you…" James said and then began to describe what had happen a week ago.

He described the horrifying sights, the burning firers and the strange group of owls that had been responsible for the attack. He also briefly mentioned as to how he came across the larger knife-sword that belonged to his friend's dad. And as he finished the incredible story the Barn owl just looked shocked. James noticed his expression and continued to look at the hollow floor. The Barn owl was just stunned. He had seen the large smoke stack a little way in the distance but just thought it was a large forest fire he only now realised that he was wrong. But then he focused on the name James had spoken. 'Pure Ones'. He hated the name and for good reason. He took another look at James as if he was going to tell him something but stopped when he saw his expression. James had gone to looking down and depressed to looking up and enraged.

"I swear, that for as long as I live, I will find and kill every last Pure One," James growled out. The Barn owl just continued to look at James, his expression never changing even at James' out-burst. In fact he was impressed at this little seagulls courage and survival and the will he also possessed but he felt as though he should explain what happened to himself.

"Kid, I know how you feel," he said.

James expression changed to surprise at the Barn owls words.

"Yes, I know what it's like to lose someone to the Pure Ones. It happened right in this hollow actually," he explained. He looked at James, who was now listening intently, before continuing, "I had a mate at one time. She was beautiful, funny and caring she was all I wanted. But then one night it all went horribly wrong. I was out hunting and I stayed out a bit too long so when I came back I saw two big Tyto owls with terrifying masks and red eyes standing outside this hollow. I dropped the mice I had caught and descended to the two owls but as I approached they attacked me. We fought for a few minutes but I managed to kill both of them. After I had dealt with them I rushed into the Hollow and part of me died in side. I saw my mate dead inside with an owl that was bigger than the two outside next to her body. Beneath that mask I swear I saw him smile and that was it. I clicked and charged, we fought and he was left dying. And in his last dying breath he muttered one sentence that I remember so well. 'The Pure Ones are coming' is what he said and with that he died. I was devastated. My mate was dead and all I was left with was this place and the terrible memories of that night." He stopped there. He looked at James that was staring at him with a sorrow filled expression. But at the same time James thought that he had suffered the same he had, in fact that was what both of them were thinking.

"Mister, I don't know what to say,"

"You don't need to say anything, Kid, you told me your story and I told you mine." After he said that they both looked away from each other. The Barn owl had a sudden thought. It would be bold thing to ask from the kid but if this kid was so intent on revenge then maybe he would come to agree with the idea. But he needed to know if this was the path he really wanted to go.

"Kid…" he said getting James' attention.

"How far would you go to avenge your family?" he asked. James' reaction was just what he had expected. James was surprised by the sudden question but his expression soon changed.

"I… I would… I would do anything… anything."

"Would you go through the toughest training?"

"….Yes"

"Would you clime the tallest mountain?"

"…Yes"

"Would you… Would you…Kill?" the Barn owl asked quietly, almost a whisper. James was very hesitant in answering that question, he seemed in deep thought. He glanced back at the blade on his back and came to one of the most important decisions in his life.

"Yes," was his answer.

The Barn owl nodded in approval at the kids' decision and said "Well, kid, I can train you."

James looked at him hopefully, hoping that he was telling the truth.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, but it will be difficult and will take a long time."

"I don't care as long as it gets me what I promised my Ma."

The Barn owl again nodded in approval at James' statement before turning to the large nest at the back of the hollow. He made himself comfortable but James interrupted him.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"Sleeping and I suggest you do the same, we will start training at night."

"But I don't sleep in the day," he said.

"Well I suggest that you try otherwise you are going to struggle tonight."

James turned and looked at the inviting nest on the other side of the hollow. He walked over to it and stepped inside. He laid down and closed his eyes but he was interrupted by the Barn owl.

"Felix," he said

"What," James asked confused.

"It's my name, Felix."

"James," James said.

"My name is James," and with that the Barn owl, Felix, and the seagull James fell asleep. James struggled to fall asleep at first but eventually fell asleep. And James had just started the second part of his journey.

James grew aware of an annoying poking in his abdomen. It felt like someone was poking his side and he wasn't wrong in assuming.

Adina had walked in and found the seagull fast asleep in his nest with one wing hanging over his head, which itself was hang from the edge of the nest, whilst his injured wing wouldn't move because of the bandages around it. It was a comical position and she had to suppress a small giggle from escaping her beak. She then began to poke him to try and wake him and it was slowly working. She heard him groan in disapproval at the thought of getting up but continued to poke him until his eyes opened.

Once he saw her standing before him James struggled onto his feet and rubbed his eyes clear with his undamaged wing.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was refreshing."

"Well now your lazy butt is up would you care to stay awake while I show you the way?" she asked.

James shook the last bit of sleep from his mind before looking at the hollow entrance and gestured a wing to the outside.

"Lead the way," he said.

She smiled slightly and proceeded outside. James followed her, egger to see what the great tree looked like.

Well another chapter done. Sorry it took so long, it's because my computer crashed and deleted everything and it took a month to fix. I also just recently got back from a two week holiday so that just ads to the delay. But it's fixed now so updates could be faster.

This chapter is something I want to try I'm unsure as to write a different story on James' past before or put them in chapters like these. I will decide later but until the please enjoy

Oh and to TheGhost129 (and every other reviewer)- Hugs Back. Thank you guys so much

crafty-boy-FTW :D