Chapter 3

Ever since he received the note from Ag and Nyra, Kludd had great difficulty containing his excitement. He paid more attention to his Da's branching lectures, complained less and less, and even played with Eglantine some nights. Everyone had noticed the change, including Mrs. P, who remarked that Kludd was becoming a fine young owl. "He'll grow up to be a wonderful part of Tyto;" she said, "I have no doubt in my mind."

Finally, the night of his First Flight ceremony came. His mum, da, and Mrs. P had gathered on a branch outside the hollow, along with Soren and Eglantine. "Kludd Alba," his father began, "we have gathered tonight to honour your very First Flight. This is a very special occasion, as it will mark the first wing beat in your passage from owlet to grown owl. And so here, we gather, in the manner all owl families gather, to celebrate." And then, in her raspy voice, Kludd's mum began to sing the song many owls sang for these ceremonies:

The time it has come,

Your feathers have fledged,

For your very First Flight

Right off of this ledge.

May Glaux keep you now

On your very first flight,

May this ceremony now

Be blessed in his sight

This is it. Kludd thought to himself, his pulse racing. If I do this, I will become my own owl. If I do this, I will be free. If I do this, I am one step closer to being a Pure One. With this thought, Kludd spread his wings and lifted off, circling around the group of trees near his home – two firs, like his, a pine, and a cedar. When he came back, there was great cheering and hooting. "Three cheers for Kludd and his amazing flight!" Soren whooped. And as the night filled with hoots and shrieks from his family and neighbouring owls, Kludd felt a thrill coursing through him. At long last, he could fly!

After his First Flight ceremony, Kludd's parents had instructed him not to go out of the hollow unless they were around. Kludd promised that he wouldn't, but in his mind, he was formulating a plan to fly to Redwood – and to the Pure Ones. This was a trip he could not tell his parents about, nor Soren, nor Eglantine, nor Mrs. P – no one. He would be making this journey on his own.

One morning, Kludd woke up to the feeling of the sun hitting his face. He blinked a bit, trying to adjust to the feeling of the bright light on his eyes, then with a start, remembered why he woke up. It's time. Kludd reminded himself, stepping tentatively onto the branch outside the hollow entrance, before carefully spreading his wings and, as silently as possible, taking off.

As soon as he was a good distance away from the fir tree, Kludd began scanning the ground below for any signs of the Pure One fortress. They could have given some details on what Redwood looked like. Kludd thought to himself, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by the approach of a large Barn Owl – a female by the looks of it, but, to Kludd's disappointment, not Nyra.

"What is your name?" Asked the female in a curt, no – nonsense voice. Kludd puffed out his chest a little, not as a threat display, but as a display of respect. "Kludd Alba, ma'am." He replied, his voice showing little of the nervousness racking his body now. The female had clearly been in many battles; a scare raked down her breast, and there was a patch of mouse fur where her left eye should have been. "I am Lieutenant Morgana; I shall lead you to your fellow recruits." With that, Morgana took a steep dive into the forest below, and Kludd soon followed suit.

The first thing Kludd noticed about the fortress was the strange, coloured openings surrounding it; some were intact, others had their tops missing. Within moments, Kludd noticed the entire fortress looked strange; it was made of many stones stacked on top of one another, and there was ivy crawling up one of the walls. Morgana and Kludd eventually lighted down in a big room with an ancient, gilded perch (if Kludd could even call it that), on which a large, battle – scarred Barn Owl sat. As Kludd looked around, he noticed that all of the owls in the room were some kind of Tyto, and not just Barn Owls – Kludd saw Masked Owls, Grass, and Sooties as well. He even noticed a Bay Owl standing guard, although Kludd couldn't help but wonder if Bay Owls could even be considered Tytos. He was interrupted by a flash of white as bright as the moon, and looked up to see Nyra flying towards the throne, his gizzard now a flutter. He wedged himself into a spot in which he would be able to see her – next to another Barn Owl and a Grass Owl. After the commotion in the room died down, the battle – scarred Barn Owl spoke.

"Welcome, young Barn Owls." He said, his voice reminding Kludd of the sound of his fir tree during a windstorm. "Welcome to the Tytonic Union of the Pure Ones. I am the High Tyto, and that is all you need to know." He then waved a wing towards Nyra. "This is my Adjunct General, Nyra. She will be in charge of making sure you stay in line." Nyra then puffed her chest proudly, and Kludd couldn't help but admire now how the daylight gleamed off her feathers, making her more and more radiant.

"You are here," the High Tyto went on, "because, like us, you believe that we Tytos are the purest of all the owl species. You are here because we have seen pureness in you, and we believe you have potential. You have often heard it said that Tytos were once a rare species, and that there are many who are still hunted now beyond Tyto. Well, it is time to stop hiding and fight for that which you know to be true!" He then turned his head toward a group of owls whom Kludd presumed were soldiers. "As you can see," the High Tyto said, "many of the soldiers before you have been scarred defending that truth. Lieutenant Stryker," he said, gesturing to a muscular Barn Owl closest to the throne, "got a nasty scar on his wing from a skirmish in Silverveil. Commander Moonsable," he went on, gesturing to a larger Barn Owl whose face was close to featherless, "lost a talon while fighting with hawks in Ambala." The owl called Moonsable held up his starboard foot for all to see, and many owls, including Kludd, crowded around him to see. "And Lieutenant Morgana," he said, gesturing to Morgana, "lost her eye in a battle in The Barrens." Kludd looked around in awe. These were fighting owls!

"Let these scars inspire you, young Tytos." The High Tyto finished. "Let them remind you that impurity is out there, and let them stir up your rage and bravery in battle. After I dismiss you, you will be paired with other owls according to your species, age, and size, and then you and your assigned group will be paired with an instructor who will teach you the ways of the Pure Ones." He then peered at the owls before him with his dark black eyes, and Kludd felt as if the High Tyto were looking right through him. "Hopefully," he added, "you will remember everything you are taught." He then waved his wing, and the owls were dismissed.

Kludd was paired with multiple Barn Owls, including a tan one who identified himself as Garth, a reddish – brown one who claimed he was named Scourge, and the Barn Owl whom Kludd stood next to in the assembly, later revealed not only to be named Cedar, but also to be the only female in his group. Kludd thought it to be an odd name, considering that Cedar's feathers were an amber colour, not light reddish – brown like most of the cedars Kludd had seen. These owls were lead into a special chamber to find a female Barn Owl awaiting them. This owl had a scar near the top of her beak, but was nevertheless lovely with feathers the colour of golden poppies.

"I am your instructor, Major Jadalyn" the owl said, her voice a soft chirping sound. "I will be your instructor during your training." She then bent down towards the owls and said in a soft giggle, "In this chamber, I would love it if you could all call me Jade." Kludd cocked his head, confused. This owl was nothing like the High Tyto.

"She's trying to ease our nerves." A dovelike voice said, as if reading his thoughts. Kludd turned around with a start to find Cedar peering into his dark black eyes with hers. "Some of the owls here are quite nervous about this, and so the instructors are kind to help us settle in."

"Well, I'm not scared!" The owl called Scourge piped up. "I could handle an instructor more like the High Tyto and less like this wet-pooper brained female." At this, Cedar puffed herself up at Scourge, a look of pure rage entering her eyes. "Well, no one asked you, you sprinking little mooncalf, so put a mouse in it before I put a talon in!"

A sharp shree broke through the night, and Kludd, Scourge, and Cedar turned their eyes back on Jade. "Enough!" she shrieked. "I will not tolerate such fighting in my chamber!" She then flew towards Cedar and said, "You must save all of your rage for the ceremonies, for those are where your rage will truly count." With that, Cedar murmured, "Yes, Instructor Jade" and stepped back into line, flashing a glare at Scourge.

"At any rate," Jade continued, trying to get back on track, "I shall be calling you by your names, which have been written on all of your files." She then stepped up towards the tan owl known as Garth. "You are Garth Talonson of Silverveil, correct?"

"Yes, Instructor Jade." Garth said, dipping his head.

Jade nodded. "Your father was an esteemed commander here." She said, even softer than before. "I have great hope for you." Garth swelled a bit at the mention of his father, and Kludd couldn't help but feel that Garth's father had done amazing things.

Jade then stepped up to Scourge. "And you are Pigwidgeon McGonagall, correct?" The moment the name was spoken aloud, Kludd could hear Cedar churring quietly but vigorously, and Kludd couldn't blame her. What kind of a name is Pigwidgeon McGonagall for a Tyto? He thought to himself.

The owl called Pigwidgeon puffed up in anger. "I am Scourge, terror of the Shadow Forest!" he shreed desperately over Cedar's snickers, which were quietly dying down. Jade merely nodded and added, "I am sure you will make a fine addition to the Union." She then made her way over to Cedar. "And you must be Cedar Plicata of Ambala."

Mustering up all the seriousness she had, Cedar bowed her head and said, "Yes, Instructor Jade."

A smile seemed to grow on Jade's face. "I have heard many good things from scouts in that region. They say you are a fine soldier of great rage." Cedar swelled up a bit, and Jade went on. "I can already tell that you will find greatness here." She was just about to fly back to her perch when she caught sight of Kludd and stopped. "Funny," she said, "I have no records in my files of you."

Kludd stiffened, dread filling his being. "I was spotted on a scouting patrol by Adjunct General Nyra in Tyto and was invited by her and the High Tyto here. I just joined today, however." Cedar, Garth, and even Scourge looked at him, obviously impressed, and Jade's bottom beak almost hit the floor. Regaining her composure, Jade turned to face Kludd. "The High Tyto and the Adjunct General themselves, huh?" She said, her voice breathy. "They must've seen something truly special in you. What is your name?"

Kludd then drew himself to full height, and replied, "Kludd, Instructor Jade. Kludd Alba."

Jade blinked for a moment, and then replied. "Well, Kludd Alba, I'll be sure to keep an eye on you." She then whispered into his ear slit, "If your parents are alive and unaware of your whereabouts, I think it would be best if you came for only the important classes and the ceremonies. I'm sure Her Pureness will understand." With that, Jade returned to her perch, and a guard nearby gave everyone a slip of parchment; when the guard was about to give Kludd his, however, Jade quickly came up and whispered something in his ear slit before the guard made marks on the parchment with a quill and gave it to Kludd.

"These," Jade revealed, "will be your schedules leading up to your first Pure One ceremony, in which you will be required to kill a neighbouring nest – maid snake in your respective kingdoms. As you may have noticed, the ceremony and the things you will learn leading up to it will be quite different from anything you have previously known. In these classes you will learn about what the Pure Ones require in terms of loyalty, fierceness, and rage. Our ceremonies, meanwhile, will test your proficiency in all of these aspects and will determine whether or not you stay in the Pure Ones. As a result," she went on, fixing her eyes on all of them as she spoke, "it is important that you learn well and pass these ceremonies." She then looked out towards the sun in the sky. "It is midday. You will need your energies for your first class. I suggest you get some sleep."

At this, Garth, Scourge, and Cedar settled into different niches, and Jade tucked her head under her wing. Kludd, however, lifted off towards home, and as he left, he could've sworn he heard Nyra's voice say, "See you First Black."

A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter! I apologize if I went overboard. So anyways, I'm super excited to write about Kludd's first ceremony with the Pure Ones. If you guys have any suggestions or advice, I'd love to hear it. Also, does anyone else picture any voice actors for these roles? Maybe it's just me, but I see Chloe Grace Moretz as Cedar. Idk, again, that's just me. As always, show some love and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Guardians of Ga'Hoole, "The Times They Are A-Changing", which was partially the inspiration for the song Marella sings at Kludd's First Flight, or the Harry Potter or Warriors series, for which I got the inspiration for both Scourge's real name and his alias; full credit goes to their respective writers.