Chapter 5

For the next few moons, Kludd's life followed a familiar rhythm; he would leave after his parents left, usually at the break of First Black, arrive at the Pure One fortress, attend Pure One classes where he learned about what it meant to be a Pure One, leave as soon as he could, making sure to let a guard know where he was going and that he would return, come back to the hollow before his parents could find out, and go to sleep, waking up to much of the same the next day. Soren, for his part, never asked Kludd where he went or what he did, and if Eglantine or Mrs. P suspected anything, they didn't let on; it was probably just as well that none of them know, although he did feel a tad guilty about lying to them.

Nevertheless, Kludd enjoyed his classes and liked interacting with many of his classmates. He had become particularly good friends with Cedar and Garth; they admired him for both his strength and cunning in battle and his rebellious attitude, and Cedar even called him 'Rebel' sometimes. In his classes, he was earning the admiration and respect of both his peers and his instructors; he was proving himself to be not only a quick and eager learner, but to be a strong candidate for the Pure Ones' highest ranks as well. Kludd's favourite classes, however, had to be the ones on rage; he still remembered his first one, which was taught by a Grass Owl soldier known as Nighthawk. He wore a mechanical battle claw where his left foot should have been, and his eyes burned like onyx fire.

"Now, class", he began, his voice a deep growl, "what is the purpose of rage?"

"To give us strength in times of battle." A Barn Owl named Brutus answered. Brutus had been placed under a different instructor than Kludd, a jolly fellow by the name of Cassius.

"Very good, Mr. Citius." Replied Nighthawk. "Now who can tell me the best type of owls to direct such rage to?"

"The Impure, sir." Answered Cedar, her voice ringing through the fortress.

Nighthawk nodded, then went on. "Very good." He replied. "Can anyone here expand on Miss Plicata's answer?"

Kludd thought for a moment about the owls of St. Aggie's; how they had been stealing owlets and eggs from nest. He felt a burning feeling sweep through him, one that set fire to his gizzard and consumed his entire being. He then looked Nighthawk dead in the eye and answered, in a tone unfamiliar to him, "The best owls to direct our rage to our those who are not only impure in body, but also impure in mind and in spirit, for they are a blight to the owl kingdoms."

The entire class was stunned into silence for a moment, and then Nighthawk broke it. "Excellent answer, Mr. Alba. Alright, class, I will now show you techniques on building and storing your rage and hatred…" So that's what rage feels like. Kludd thought, fascinated by this new feeling.

From that point on, Kludd became intent on honing both his fighting techniques and the power of his rage, the way a blacksmith honed battle claws. And it was just as well, too, for before he knew it, his first Pure One ceremony had arrived: The Nest Maid Ceremony.

On the night of his Nest Maid Ceremony, Kludd did not go to the fortress in Redwood, but went instead to a part of Tyto closer to the River Hoole – and to home – to meet Ag and Nyra. For this and the Special ceremony – one which was often called Tupsi and was said to be the ultimate initiation rite – the recruits would be allowed to travel back to the kingdoms of their origin in order to perform them, but would be monitored quietly by an officer of the Pure Ones; in Kludd's case, since word had gotten out amongst the Pure Ones of his exceptional abilities, he was to be monitored by the High Tyto and Nyra themselves.

Kludd finally found them perched on a spruce branch nearby, and, as per the custom, dipped his head in obeisance. "Enough." Ag barked, cuing Kludd to raise his head. "So you're the nestling I've been hearing so much about."

"Yes, sir." Kludd replied. He felt a wave of shame but surpressed it, reminding himself that he had every reason to be proud. "My name is Kludd Alba."

Ag studied the nestling closely, sizing him up. He seemed a little too modest, and yet… there was something in this one's eyes that made Ag think he had potential. "Very well then, Kludd." He said, his voice sounding almost bored. "Show us why it is my soldiers – and my mate – feel as though you have potential." He then turned his head away dismissively, but Nyra gave him a barely perceptible nod, as if to say, "Go on, Kludd. I believe in you."

Feeling the same warm glow he felt when they first met, Kludd turned around and contracted the muscles in his facial disk, listening for a nest maid snake that might be crawling out of her tree. He had listened for a long while and was just about to give up when he spotted a relatively young nest maid slither out from a pine nearby. Seizing his chance, Kludd flew out quickly and quietly towards the snake until he was behind her head, then reached out with his talons and grabbed her gently by the throat. He didn't want to kill her just yet; he wanted to strike fear in her heart first.

Kludd then carried her higher and higher into the black, despite her struggling and her cries for help. She's a fighter, this one. Kludd thought to himself as he flew up over the top of Tyto. When he was at a good enough height, he stopped, peered down at the nest maid with his cark, black eyes, and said, "Long live the Pure Ones", before slitting her throat and dropping her to the ground below.

After he was satisfied that the nest maid was dead, Kludd flew back down to the spruce where Ag and Nyra were perched. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, at last, Ag spoke up. "Well done, Kludd. Looks like you may have a future with the Pure Ones after all."

"Alright, everyone, listen up." Nyra called, her voice sounding through the fortress. After his ceremony, Kludd had returned with Ag and Nyra to the fortress, where millions of other Tytos were waiting for word on whether or not they had passed theirs. As she spoke now, Kludd, Garth, Cedar, and Scourge, along with everyone else, hung on her every word. "I am going to call out the names of various Pure One instructors. If yours is among those names, that means at least one of you will be moving to the next level. Those whose names are not called, your students will have to leave the fortress." She then took out a slip of paper and began reading the names.

"Instructing the Sooties, both Greater and Lesser," she began, "Instructor Ash, Instructor Coalbeak, Instructor Dustclaw, Instructor Dirtstorm, Instructor Mudfeather, and Instructor Crowblaze." The Sooties identified swelled up with pride, and Kludd couldn't help but wonder if Dustin was in that class. His question was answered when he saw Dustin swell up as well. He must have done really well in a lot of his classes. Kludd thought to himself. I'll have to watch him closely.

"Instructing the Grass Owls," Nyra went on, "Instructor Nighthawk, Instructor Wolfblitz, and Instructor Gengko." Kludd's eyes widened in surprise; he didn't think Nighthawk had a class of his own. It made him wonder what classes Jade taught when she wasn't minding him and his chambermates.

"Instructing the Masked Owls," she continued, "Instructor Toothclaw, Instructor Scorpio, and Instructor Katana." As before, millions of Tytos clacked their beaks in approval, including Kludd. He remembered how Katana had shown confidence and faith in Kludd's abilities; he was actually one of the first instructors to do so, although Kludd had sensed that Jade had very little doubts.

"And last but not least," Nyra went on, "instructing the Barn Owls, Instructor Cassius, Instructor Ragateal, and Instructor Jadalyn." Massive cheers erupted, and Kludd felt his gizzard flutter. He was now one step closer to fully being a Pure One! "Congratulations to all whose instructors names I've called." Nyra called. "The rest of you will not be moving to the next stage. Lieutenant Stryker, please ensure that these owls are escorted home."

Slowly, all the owls filed out of the room, some with crestfallen looks on their faces, others swelling with pride. Kludd was lost in his thoughts when he felt Cedar give him a friendly thwack on the back with her wing. "We're moving up!" Cedar shreed. "We have a chance of making to our Special, of being full Pure Ones; some of us might become legendary! And all thanks to you, Rebel!" She then shreed in absolute joy, and Kludd, Garth, and even Scourge shreed with her.

That night, there was a banquet for all the owls that had gone through to the next stage. Music was not normally allowed amongst the Pure Ones, but for tonight, Ag was willing to make an exception, and some of the instructors – the females, mostly – picked up lutes and sang lively songs. Revelry ruled the night, and while any Tyto that wasn't a Tyto alba was considered less than pure, many owls mingled and even danced with owls outside of their assigned groups and species. Cedar herself was doing a lively waltz with a Grass Owl, while Garth was demonstrating a traditional Silverveil dance to a Lesser Sooty. Scourge even did the glauc – glauc with a lovely young Masked Owl. And for the first time in his life, Kludd began to feel as if he had found a place where he truly belonged.

A/N: Aaaaaaannnnddd we're back to the shorter chapters! So, I, for one am quite glad with how this story is turning out. I started writing this story because the sparse explanation Kathryn Lasky had in the books for Kludd being evil drove me absolutely crazy (as did his treatment by Noctus and Marella's scrooms at the end of "The Burning") and now, holy crap, this story is just taking off in all sorts of crazy directions. I quite enjoy how this chapter ended up turning out, although I do feel a little disappointed that I didn't include more of Cedar in this chapter; she's definitely become my personal favourite, and I really hope that you guys enjoy getting to know her as much as I enjoy creating her and developing her. Look's like she'll definitely be getting her own spinoff soon. Anyways, show some love and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Guardians of Ga'Hoole; all credit goes to Kathryn Lasky.